The Legend of Zelda: Demon's Dawn
by Ri2
Summary: Sequel to Search for Mesmoria. When two villains return, Hyrule and Termina become one as evil incarnate is unleashed once again. Will Link be strong enough to beat it?
1. A New Day

The Legend of Zelda:  
  
Demon's Dawn  
  
1 Part two of the Imp of Fate Trilogy  
  
  
  
HI, it's me again, your old friend pi2. I think I might have figured out the chaptering system, so I might be able to make this a normal fanfic. I suggest you read The Search for Mesmoria before this. You might understand certain story references better if you read part one first.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters that appeared or were mentioned in the games. Everything else is my own.  
  
Note: This is ten years after the events in OoT and MM. Link is 20. All the Sages awakened themselves off their own accord. Because Link did not use the Master Sword in this timeline except to open the door to the Sacred Realm for Ganondorf and to travel in time twice, it is still in its resting- place in the Temple of Time. Link has a normal sword. This is important, so remember this for later.  
  
Prologue  
  
Lost Woods, Kokiri Village, Saria's house: Saria, the green-haired Sage of the Forest and unofficial leader of the Kokiri, grumbled and rolled over in bed, trying to stay asleep. An annoying jingle was trying to wake her up. What was that annoying jingle? It sounded so familiar. Oh yes, it was her 'alarm clock'. Saria hurled a pillow in the general direction of Patch, who was trying to wake her up. Patch dodged the pillow and kept on jingling. Finally, Saria grumbled and sat up. "Patch, please shut up and let me sleep!"  
  
"But Saria, it's time to get up!"  
  
She grumbled and started to lie down again. "Wake me up in another hour. By Farore, I wish you had a snooze button or something."  
  
"But Saria, today's the day!"  
  
"What day?"  
  
Patch flew over to her calendar, indicating today's date was circled. "Today's your birthday."  
  
Saria jumped out of bed. "IT IS? Oh Din, oh Din, oh Din, oh Din! What time is it?"  
  
"Nine-o-clock. I've been jingling for the last hour, and I am pooped."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Patch, I knew I shouldn't have stayed up late with Link and Navi last night trying to finish that Forest Temple model!" She ran over to her closet and threw it open, trying to decide which tunic to wear. She looked frantically at all the Kokiri Tunics, all of which were exactly the same. She chose a tunic, quickly ate breakfast, bathed, and redressed, then started getting her house in order for the party. Saria was turning five hundred and fifty-two that day, and she needed her house to be in perfect condition for when the party was over. The party was traditionally held outdoors, but she wanted to make sure everything was in its place for after the party. It was also traditional for the birthday boy or girl to decorate the Deku Tree for the party. Saria ran over to the supply closet to get the decorations, only to find that they were all gone! She moaned. "Deku Sprouts, I forgot I left the decorations in the Temple!"  
  
"Then let's go get them before we're out of time!" said Patch, heading for the door. Yet another birthday tradition in the woods was that the birthday boy or girl finish the decorations by noon. And since the Tree is quite large, the decorations took a few hours.  
  
Saria groaned. "We don't have time to go to the temple and back and finish the decorations before noon!"  
  
"What about the Minuet of Forest?"  
  
"Yes! That would be perfect. She grabbed her Fairy Ocarina and held it to her lips, preparing to blow the first note. And held it. And held it. And held it.  
  
Finally, Patch interrupted. "Well, play the song already."  
  
Saria put down the Ocarina, completely embarrassed. "I forgot it."  
  
"You forgot the song?! You're the best musician in the entire village! How could you forget?"  
  
"The song wouldn't have helped, anyway. It would have taken too long to get back with all the decorations." Saria looked like she was about to cry. "I can't believe this! I've never missed a birthday deadline before!"  
  
Patch moaned. "You know what they'll do to us if we can't finish in time!" One last Kokiri birthday tradition was that if the birthday boy or girl did not meet the deadline, said Kokiri and his/her fairy would be dunked in black paint and left in the Lost Woods for the whole day.  
  
Saria suddenly brightened up. "Wait! I know what to do!" She ran out of her tree house and ran for the Deku Tree's meadow. She ran by all the Kokiri, who were surprised that she hadn't started the decorations yet.  
  
She ran into the meadow. The Deku Sprout, the absolute master of the village and the closest part of the Lost Woods, greeted her. "Oh, hello Saria and Patch. What are you two doing here so late?"  
  
"Sorry I'm late, great Deku Sprout. I overslept."  
  
"Where are the decorations for my patriarch?"  
  
Saria grinned. I've got them right here," she said. She held up her hands, which had begun to sparkle with green light.  
  
The Sprout frowned. "Saria, remember what I said about using your Sage powers responsibly?'  
  
"This is responsibly! I'm using them to fulfill my birthday responsibilities. Doesn't that count?"  
  
The mighty Sprout pondered for a moment. "Well, I guess so, but"  
  
"Great! This won't take but a minute." She raised her hands and hit the Deku Tree with a blast of green energy, concentrating on designs and colors. Flowers and moss sprouted wherever her beam hit, making the Deku Tree look lovely with all the varied colors of the living decorations. She finally lowered her hands. The Sprout twisted to see the decorations.  
  
"Wow! Nice job, but remember to wake up at the right time new year, okay?"  
  
"I will." Saria ran home to figure out something to do until noon.  
  
Death Mountain, Goron City, Darunia's cave: Darunia, Big Brother of the Gorons and Sage of Fire, yawned and woke up. He got off the bedrock, careful not to disturb his slumbering wife, Direa, and went to the bathroom to take his morning lava bath. As he sunk into the relaxing lava pool, he caught sight of the calendar, noticing today's date was circled on it. He gasped. "Oh Din! How could I have forgotten! Today's the day!" he said, almost loudly enough to wake up his wife. She growled. Darunia quickly shut up. Today's the day, he thought. Today was the day Darunia would tell his son about the Guays and the Giant Bees. He finished his bath, brushed his teeth, and went to breakfast. Little Link, his son, was already there in the kitchen, eating sandstone-coated granite. Darunia pulled up a chair and coughed, getting his son's attention.  
  
Little Link looked up. "What is it, Dad?" he asked.  
  
Darunia coughed not sure how to handle this. Finally, he spoke. "Son, we need to talk."  
  
"What about? Sage business? The training for kingship I need to do? My schoolwork? Sports?"  
  
"Son, we need to talk about the Guays and the Giant Bees."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Hear me out. It all starts with flowers and Giant Bees pollinating them…"half an hour later, Darunia finished. "…And so a new Guay is born! Do you understand?"  
  
Little Link stared at him, his mouth open, some granite chunks dribbling. "Son, stop drooling. It's not polite. Now, do you understand what I've told you?"  
  
Little Link wiped his mouth, then said, "Dad, I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you trying to tell me I should take up gardening and grow something other than bomb flowers?"  
  
Darunia sighed. "All right, let's try this again. It all begins when a Goron male and a Goron female love each other very much and want to have a baby. So they"  
  
"Oh, I see! You're talking about sex!"  
  
"Darunia's jaw dropped. "How-how did you know…"  
  
"I learned about it in sex education last week. Didn't mom tell you about it?"  
  
"Well, no! Then again, I might not have been listening. All right then, if you know so much about the 's' word, tell me how it's done."  
  
Little Link launched into a descriptive and accurate explanation of the reproductive system. Darunia was stunned. Little Link was only nine years old! They were already teaching him about sex in school? Little Link finished up. "…And so, a baby Goron is born! Does that show you ho much I've learned, Dad?"  
  
"Um, yes, yes it has. Now, this hasn't gone to your head, has it? You're not going to practice or anything, right?"  
  
Little Link looked at his father in surprise. "Dad, I'm only ten! I don't even have a goatee yet! I'm way too young to be thinking about that!"  
  
"Er, yes, of course. Sorry for bringing it up. Don't tell your mother about this, will you?"  
  
"Sure Dad, but why?"  
  
"Shhh, no time for that! Here she comes!"  
  
Direa walked in, yawning. As a female Goron, she looked just like the men except she had no goatee. "What are you two talking about?"  
  
"Oh, nothing, nothing at all!" said Darunia quickly.  
  
She smiled. "Were you two talking about the big game tonight?"  
  
Darunia stared blankly. "Game? What game?"  
  
She frowned. "You know, the Super Ball? The annual Goron event that everyone loves and the tickets are sold out for weeks in advance for? The thing I circled on the bathroom calendar?"  
  
Darunia gulped, suddenly realizing that he had forgotten to get tickets. "Um, I've got to go! Really really really important sage business!" He rolled out the door at top speed shouting "Oh Din oh Din oh Din oh Din!  
  
Direa frowned. "Hmm, you don't suppose he's going for tickets, do you?'  
  
"Why wouldn't he?" asked Little Link.  
  
"Because I got the tickets a month ago. I told him that over a week ago. Oh, well, he'll be back." She sat down and helped herself to some rock sirloin.  
  
Zora's River, Zora's Domain, Ruto's bedroom: Ruto, Princess of the Zoras and Sage of Water, yawned and woke up. She looked around her room, which was completely free of any pictures of Link. She got off her waterbed and went to the bathroom to get cleaned up. As she headed for the door to the main cave of Zora's Domain, she noticed that today's date on the calendar was circled. She gasped. "Oh dear! How could I have forgotten! Today's the day!" For the last five years, Ruto had been dating a handsome Zora named Tito. They were in love with each other, but neither on had quite worked up the courage to ask the other to marry him/her. Today was the day Ruto was going to ask him to marry her. She reached for necklace with Zora's Sapphire on it, only to find it was missing. "Oh no!" she wailed. "Where is it?" She thought back, trying to remember where she had it last. She needed it before noon, because that's when they had the date she was going to ask him to marry her! She suddenly remembered that she had left it at the Water Temple when she had needed to go there last night to get rid of a Tektite infestation. She ran out the door and jumped into the water, swimming at top speed towards the Lake Hylia shortcut. She swam through, ended up in the lake, and swam for the temple. She went in, made her way, to the chamber where the ameba Morpha had held her captive in an alternate timeline she knew nothing about. The Sapphire was at the bottom of the pool. She dived, got it, and headed back for the domain. Once there, she went back to her room where she stopped to take a break. She panted, winded from going so fast, but at least she had the Zora's Engagement Ring back! "Tito will be mine," she whispered between breaths. Her future marriage assured, she decided to take a quick nap before their date. She refastened the sapphire to her neck, whispering "I will never let you out of my sight again."  
  
Gerudo's Fortress, Thieves Hideout, Nabooru's room: Nabooru, Sage of Spirit and Queen of Thieves, snored, dreaming about kicking Koume and Kotake's rear ends for brainwashing her. (Even though this is a new timeline written over the future Ganondorf created, Nabooru was still brainwashed for a short time.) She was broken out of her dream by a raping on the door. "Exalted Nabooru! Please wake up!" It was her second-in-command, Aveil.  
  
Nabooru sighed. "What is it, Aveil?" she asked.  
  
"Can you not see the calendar? Today is the day! I have to go get ready. Meet you in the Training Ground in twenty." Nabooru listened as she heard Aveil's footsteps running down the hall.  
  
Grunting, she looked at the calendar. "What does she mean today's the…" She saw that today's date was circled on the calendar. She gasped. "Today is the day!" Today was the Annual Gerudo Training Ground Tournament. It was a yearly event to see who could get through the Gerudo's Training Ground the fastest unscathed. She had won every tournament since Aveil had saved her from Koume and Kotake five years ago, and she didn't plan on losing this one either! She quickly showered, got dressed, did a few backflips for warm- ups, and headed for the Training Ground.  
  
Kakariko Village, Graveyard, Impa's House: Impa, Sage of Shadow and Mayor of Kakariko Village, yawned and got up. She scowled, knowing she would have to go to her dreary, somewhat scary temple for a little exorcism. Then she noticed the calendar had today's date on it and smiled. "Today's the day." She said to herself. Even though she was a member of the Sheikah, the Shadow People, it didn't mean she had to like her temple. It was too full of undead and booby traps. It wasn't the undead that bothered her since they served her, but the booby traps, the skull motifs, the bone piles, the chasms, and the lack of proper lighting. She had hired those lazy carpenters who had made Kakariko Village larger and rebuilt the bridge in Gerudo Canyon to renovate the temple. Since Impa's powers were related to the temple itself, she couldn't change it because her powers were as dark as the temple was. Today was the day they would arrive to renovate the temple. She got out of bed. And headed for the front door. She was surprised to find her servant, the ghost of Dampe` the gravekeeper. "Dampe`, what are you doing here?'  
  
"Mistress Impa, the carpenters are here."  
  
"They are?" Dampe` nodded. "I'll just wash up. Tell them to wait, please." Dampe` nodded and flew through the wall. Impa quickly washed up and had breakfast before coming out to meet the carpenters. The boss wasn't fazed by Dampe`, but the carpenters quivered in fear.  
  
Dampe` frowned. "What? Why are you scared of me? Is it my breath? My transparency? What is it?"  
  
The boss frowned. "Dampe` you old corpse, stop picking on my workers. They're born cowards."  
  
Dampe` bowed his head. "Sorry, sir."  
  
Impa walked over. "Mr. Tivi, I need your men to renovate my temple. You will be paid quite well. Shall I show you to the work site?"  
  
The carpenter boss nodded. Looking over his shoulder, he bellowed, "Come on! We've got a job to do." Followed by Dampe`, the carpenters nervously went with Impa and their boss to the graveyard. Impa showed them the entrance to the temple.  
  
"Your job is in there. She turned around only to see Dampe` and Mr. Tivi. Impa frowned. "Where did your men go?"  
  
The boss frowned. "What do you mean where did…" He turned around and saw his workers had run off. He ran to the top of the ledge with the Temple entrance and saw his workers were walking back to the village. He cursed. "Jiro! Shiro! Ichiro! Sabooroo! Come back here before I cut your pay and rip out your vocal cords!" The lazy workers ignored him and kept walking towards the village. Mr. Tivi sighed and turned to Impa. "I'm sorry, but I don't think they're coming back."  
  
Impa smiled. "Oh, I think they will." Just as the carpenters reached the graveyard exit, all of the Poes, Dampe`, and the Royal Composer Brothers popped out of the ground in front of them and yelled "Boo!" The carpenters screamed and ran back towards the Temple.  
  
The boss was impressed. "I think they'll finish your renovation in no time if you keep the undead breathing down their necks, Miss Impa." Impa smiled.  
  
The Sacred Realm, Temple of Light, Rauru's room: Rauru scowled as he was woken up by his wake-up spell. It was useful, but so annoying! He mentally flipped off and got out of bed. As he headed to the bathroom to wash up and get dressed, he couldn't help but think he was forgetting something special that was supposed to happen. Was it Saria's birthday? No, he remembered that he and the other Sages had gotten her presents and would call her to the Sacred Realm to give them to her in person. He smiled, thinking about Saria. She was a good girl, almost as old as he was. She would probably like the presents they had gotten her. He frowned. What was it he was trying to remember? Then he spotted the calendar. Today's date was circled. "Oh, yeah…Today's the day!" said Rauru, remembering. HE finished his bath, got dressed, and headed for the temple observatory, stopping in the kitchen for some donuts. He walked into the observatory, a place that rivaled the one in Mesmoria by far. It was a huge spherical chamber, a 3-D representation of his universe. Stars and planets drifted by as he walked across the platform to the center of the universe. At the end of the walkway was a chair. He sat in it. After a moment, he said, "Planet Gavalon." Instantly, the stars rearranged themselves. One star flew a hundred meters to Rauru and expanded, showing a hologram of his solar system, focusing on the third planet, his homeworld. He smiled, then said, "Switch to dimension Xj-567-4o6p9g7vn47k9m89u88, same solar system. The stars rearranged again. The solar system and planets in front of Rauru stayed in place, but changed. The fifteen planets of his solar system changed to five. The large red giant turned into a yellow dwarf. His home, Gavalon, changed into planet Garaton, home of Hyrule. "Show current orbital patterns." The planets began rotating, slowly, around the sun. Rauru looked at it for a moment. "So it's time again," he thought. Today was the beginning of the solar equinox, a month-long period in which the planets of Hyrule's system begin to align. It happens each year at the same time. To an extraterrestrial observer, it may appear to be a simple planetary alignment. But to a Sage like Rauru, it was something more. At the end of the Solar Equinox, the five planets are aligned for six hours, from midnight to dawn. In those five hours, a magician in that system could do many great things. The magical pyrotechnics that occurred during those six hours always cheered Rauru up, and he was looking forward to the mystic fireworks automatically caused by the alignment. He grinned. "Looks like I have to make a few preparations," he thought.  
  
Lost Woods, Kokiri Village, Link's house: Link grumbled and rolled over, trying to ignore the alarm. Navi kept shouting in his ear and jingling, trying to wake him up. What did she want? She kept saying something about how today's the day…Link shot up, startling Navi. "Dear Farore, today's the day!"  
  
Navi scowled. "That's what I've been saying for the last hour!" Come on, we've got to hurry and buy the ring before we're too late!" Today was the day Link was going to propose to Zelda. He knew he loved her and knew she loved him back. He had already found a ring, but he had to save up for the last five years before he could afford it. He was going to buy the ring today, but had to get there before the store opened and somebody else might buy the ring. Navi interrupted his train of thought. "Don't forget, today's Saria's birthday, so give her your present before you leave." Link ran into his bathroom, slamming the door to keep Navi out. "Humph! You'd think after all we've been through, he wouldn't mind me seeing him naked!" she grumbled. Link came out twenty minutes later with a new change of clothes.  
  
"I'm ready to go! Where's Saria's present?"  
  
"It's over here, on your table."  
  
Link grabbed the present, an emerald he had found deep in the Lost Woods, and headed for the ladder. He climbed out of his house and headed for Saria's House when he ran into Saria. Literally. "Oof!"  
  
"Ouch!" Saria and Link staggered to their feet. Saria quickly recovered. "Link! I was just coming to see you! Are you ready for the party?"  
  
Link sighed, unhappy. "Saria, I don't think I'm going to make it to the party on time."  
  
Saria looked crestfallen. "Why not?"  
  
"Today's the day I propose to Zelda."  
  
Saria gasped. "Really? It's about time you two hitched the knot. Do you have enough money for a ring?"  
  
Navi answered for Link. "He has 2000R in his wallet."  
  
Saria was impressed. "Wow Link! Where did you get that much money?"  
  
Link grinned. "I found it."  
  
Saria looked sad again. "It's too bad you can't make it to the party."  
  
"I'll be there later. But since I won't be able to see you blow out the candles, here's your present." He handed over the emerald.  
  
She gasped. "It's beautiful! How did you get it?"  
  
"I found it."  
  
Saria smiled, cheering up. "Thanks Link. You can go now. Patch and I have a party to get ready for! She ran towards her house.  
  
Link smiled. "Navi, get close." Navi went into his hat. Link played the Prelude of Light on the Fairy Ocarina, warping to the Temple of Time.  
  
Hyrule Castle Town, Hyrule Castle, Zelda's Room: Zelda yawned and woke up, rolling over in her comfy bed. She looked out the window, smiling at the lovely view of Hyrule Field it granted her. She noticed the calendar on her wall, and how today's date was circled on it. She gasped. "Oh Nayru, today's the day!" She ran into her bathroom to get ready. Her father was out of town for a month on a diplomatic mission to another country. Zelda was in charge. A week after her father left, Zelda had received a letter from someplace she had never heard of, a city called Mesmoria. She had no idea who ruled this city or where it was, but the letter stated that an ambassador from the city would appear in the throne room at eleven-o-clock on the stated day. The name sounded strangely familiar, but she couldn't place it. Had she heard about it from somebody? She couldn't remember. Her Triforce hadn't given her any hints, but she knew to believe the letter when it disintegrated after she finished reading it, indicating powerful magic. She finished getting ready and checked the sun's position. She gasped again. It was ten fifty! Only ten minutes until this ambassador appeared. She raced to the throne room, deciding to send the guards out of the room so they wouldn't attack the ambassador when he/she/it appeared.  
  
Mesmoria, Fairy Palace, Skull Kid's room: Skull Kid woke up on time, washed, and checked his calendar, confirming his suspicions when he saw today's date circled on it. "Today's the day," he thought. His surrogate mother, Queen Spryte, had recently decided to initiate trade with the Hylians. However, she needed an ambassador to go to Hyrule Castle and speak to whoever was in charge about making a trade alliance. Skull Kid had volunteered for this mission. Tael and Tatl volunteered as well. Spryte reluctantly agreed to let them go. After breakfast, Skull Kid was going to be changed back to his old form and transported with Tael and Tatl to Hyrule Castle. Of course, they didn't know exactly where it was; they could only approximate from Link's stories and maps. Half an hour later, at ten fifty five, Skull Kid was on the transformation platform, ready to be returned too normal. Tael, Tatl, Spryte, and pretty much everyone else in the city came to watch. The green fairy-mages worked their magic. Skull Kid felt his wings shrivel away, his body to grow and change, his clothes reweaving out of thin air. Within moments, he was an imp. He hugged himself out of glee. He had loved being a fairy, but he hadn't realized how much he had missed being an imp. Tael and Tatl hugged him, happy to see him in his normal state. The mages prepared to cast the teleport spell. As they prepared, Spryte flew up to them.  
  
"We are not sure where exactly Hyrule Castle is, but we are approximating. We have a 90% chance of landing you in the Throne Room."  
  
"And if we're in the other 10%?" asked Tatl.  
  
"You should land near Hyrule Castle, but not necessarily in the throne room. Or on solid ground."  
  
"Why don't I like the sound of that?" muttered Tael.  
  
"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Said Skull Kid. "My instincts tell me we'll survive the journey. And my instincts are never wrong."  
  
"Oh, yes, and to return, you just need to play the melody of Mesmoria at any point in the forest." Spryte gave each of them a kiss, then flew back into the crowd. "Good bye, my children!" she called. The mages flew around the trio, showering them with fairy dust. And then, a blue portal appeared underneath Skull Kid's feet. It's blue light bathed the trio, forming a crystal around them. The crystal spun and disappeared, leaving the platform empty. "Good luck," whispered the queen.  
  
Hell, Infernal Citadel, a certain bedroom: The bedroom was palatially decorated. There were fine carpets and portraits, tapestries covered the walls, and the ceiling was painted to depict a horrific scene. The bed was huge, as if intended for an occupant of large size. However, what was surprising was that the room was empty of any occupant. What was even more surprising was the pedestal in the middle of the room. On the pedestal was an upraised cushion. On the cushion lay a mask. It was a strange mask, shaped like a heart with two horns and eight smaller spikes on the sides. The mask was colored strangely, all reds and purples with many strange designs and symbols painted on. But the most curious thing about the mask were its eyes. The eyes, although painted on, looked alive. The eyes were a dull red, with normal pupils. There did not seem to be any eyeholes for a person wishing to wear the mask. And then, the eyes lit up. The mask awakened. It stared at the ceiling for a few moments, then sighed. "SO it wasn't all a horrible dream after all." Majora, Demon of Power and prince of Hell, floated off of his pedestal dejectedly. Ten years ago, a young boy named Link had defeated him on the verge of destroying a world. Transforming with aid from a holy relic, the boy was able to slay the demon, exorcising him from the mask his cousins Din, Nayru, and Farore had imprisoned him in. As he was forced back to Hell, Majora had expected to regain his true form and eventually regrow enough organic material to have a body in the mortal world, but his cousins had cursed him so well that even in spirit form he was a mask. For ten years he had been waiting for his father to find a cure for his curse. So far, nothing had worked. Majora sighed once again. Why did he bother getting up? He should just go back to sleep. As he was about to go back to his pedestal, Majora felt he was forgetting something. Then he noticed the calendar. He noticed that today's date was circled on it. Majora realized that this was it. He laughed at his foolishness, not believing he could have forgotten what today was! "Hahahahahaha! How could I have forgotten? Today's the day! The day father promised he would have a cure for me!' The night before, Majora's father had informed him to meet him the next morning in the courtyard to be cured. He had found a way, but Majora would have to wait until the next day. And that day was today! "At last! At last! I shall finally be free of this curse! And then, my enemies will tremble in fear as the demon Majora walks the mortal dimensions once again!" Eager, Majora flew out of his room, heading for the courtyard.  
  
  
  
Creepy, huh? If you want to find out what is going to happen next, I will need at least one positive review. This story will be continued. 


	2. Reunion

Hi, it's me again! If you're reading this, then I've figured out the chaptering system. So, I'll just continue, shall I?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from either game. A very wealthy company does.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Hyrule Castle Town, Temple of Time, the Main Sanctuary: Link and Navi rematerialized on the Triforce platform. Navi flew towards the exit. "Come on, Link! Let's go get that ring!" She suddenly noticed Link wasn't following her. "Link? Link, what are you doing?" Link was in the back room, looking at the Master Sword. Navi flew over. "Link, what are you doing?"  
  
Link, looked up. "Oh, I'm just thinking about old times."  
  
"You're not going to pull it out, are you?"  
  
"No, of course not. I was just thinking that, well, isn't this sword really mine? I mean, I saved the world using it. And I'm old enough to be Hero of Time and pull out the Sword, right? So, why don't I try it? Its not like Ganondorf will be released or we'll go to the future or the past if we pull it out."  
  
Navi thought about that. "You have a point. Oh alright, I guess you can try to pull it out." She had to admit she was a bit curious about what would happen.  
  
Link grabbed the hilt of the Master Sword and pulled. Nothing happened. He tried again. Still nothing. Link frowned. "It won't come out."  
  
"But that's impossible! You're the Hero of Time! The sword was forged by the Goddess of Time herself specifically so you could use it to fight evil!"  
  
Suddenly, the Master Sword glowed blue. And then, it spoke. "Actually, that's a misnomer."  
  
Link and Navi stared in disbelief. "You-you can talk?" they asked simultaneously.  
  
"Yes, I can talk, and I feel I must correct the statement of your fairy. Nowhere in the story of my making does it say the one to wield me would be the Hero of Time. It specifically said, 'The Master Sword would be wielded by a worthy hero chosen by destiny.'"  
  
Link frowned. "Don't I qualify? I mean, I used you in that erased timeline to defeat Ganondorf and all of his other minions. Doesn't that count for anything?"  
  
"Not exactly. You see, although you are a 'worthy hero chosen by destiny,' you are not the 'worthy hero chosen by destiny'. You were only able to wield me before because there was need and the chosen hero had not awoken himself. You will never be able to wield me again, not even when there is great need. Only the 'worthy hero chosen by destiny' can now pull me from my resting-place. His time of awakening is soon. Very soon. I can sense a great evil afoot, and I will need to be wielded once more if the world is to be saved. But not just yet."  
  
"Oh," said Navi, disappointed. "Hey, when you said the hero needs to be awakened, do you mean he's asleep or are you saying he is a hero but doesn't know it yet, just like the sages?"  
  
"He's a hero and doesn't know it."  
  
"Ah," said Link. "Well then. I guess we'll just leave you then."  
  
"Goodbye, Hero. Sorry for disappointing you."  
  
Navi and Link left the temple. Link sighed. Well, now we know something new. I wonder who the hero is?"  
  
Navi chuckled. "It's probably someone we know but someone who we also would never suspect to be a hero. Just like the Sages."  
  
"But Navi, once we knew what we were looking for, recognizing the Sages was easy."  
  
"Exactly! When we knew what we were looking for. We don't know what to look for in this new hero. He could be anyone we've ever met, someone we'd never suspect."  
  
"Good point. Hey, maybe it's Talon!"  
  
They kept straight faces for a full ten seconds before cracking up. "Talon! That'll be the day!" laughed Navi. "Hey, we've got to get to the jewelry store before it opens."  
  
"Oh my goddesses! Quick, we don't have much time!" They ran for the jewelry store.  
  
Hyrule Castle Town, Hyrule Castle, Castle Courtyard: A blue crystal appeared high in the air over the Castle Courtyard. It faded, leaving its occupants to plummet to the ground thirty feet below them. Rather, one of the occupants plummeted. The other two flew after him. Skull Kid, the falling one, screamed. Tael and Tatl flew after him, not sure how they could catch him, but they were going to try. Skull Kid hit the ground, hard. "Ow." That was all he managed to get out before falling unconscious. Two guards ran into the castle courtyard, curious to see where the scream had come from. They were surprised to find Skull Kid. Tael and Tatl quickly hid from view, waiting to see what would happen.  
  
One of the guards poked Skull Kid with his spear. The imp groaned. The guard turned the other. "I guess he's not dead."  
  
The second guard turned him over and was repulsed by Skull Kid's birdlike face. "What is it?"  
  
The first guard shook his head. "No idea."  
  
The second guard thought for a moment. "Hey, you don't suppose this guy could be an assassin who's come to kill that ambassador that's supposed to show up in a few minutes?"  
  
"Could be. That would explain why he's out in the courtyard, the ambassador is supposed to show up in the throne room. Let's take him to the dungeons."  
  
They dragged Skull Kid away. Tael and Tatl followed. Eventually, they ended up in the dungeons. The guards rudely tossed Skull Kid in a cell, locked the door, and left. The fairies flew up to the bars. "Skull Kid!" hissed Tatl. Nothing. She tried again. "Skull Kid are you okay?" Skull Kid groaned and got up, dusting himself off as if he hadn't just fallen thirty feet. Tatl was surprised. "Skull Kid, I didn't think you'd be this okay!"  
  
Skull Kid smiled. "Of course I'm okay. I had a big breakfast."  
  
Tatl was confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"  
  
Tael answered that. "Skull Kid explained this to me the other day. Whenever he has a lot of food in him, he heals quickly. That's why he was so badly hurt when we found him, he hadn't eaten anything in over a year. Skull Kid, do you want us to try and get the keys?"  
  
Skull Kid shook his head. "No thanks, I can handle this. He pulled a lock pick out of his hat and easily unlocked the door. "Now let's get going, I'm late for my appointment!" They found a wall map of the castle just outside of the dungeons. Skull Kid memorized it and ran upstairs. He knew he would have to be careful to avoid being seen by the guards. Tael and Tatl scouted ahead for him, giving him the signal when all was clear. They continued this pattern until they finally reached the throne room.  
  
Hyrule Castle Town, Hyrule Castle, the Throne room: Zelda sighed. The so-called 'ambassador' was ten minutes late. It looked like this had all been nothing more than an elaborate prank. Disappointed, she got out of the throne and headed for the exit, when her Triforce tingled. Someone unfamiliar was coming. She reached for the concealed dagger under her dress just in case it was an attacker. She waited. Finally, the door opened, and a small figure followed by a pair of fairies rushed in, closing the door behind them. Zelda frowned. "Who are you three?"  
  
The small figure, an imp of some sort, panted then stood semi- proudly. "Your majesty, I am Skull Kid, humble emissary/ambassador for the city of Mesmoria. Sorry I was late, but the wizards miscalculated the coordinates for the throne room. I ended up thirty feet above the Courtyard, but I'm fine now. These are my friends/brother and sister, Tael and Tatl."  
  
Zelda blinked. "You're telling me an imp and two fairies are the best ambassadors a powerful city such as Mesmoria could send?"  
  
Tael shrugged. "What else would you expect from a city of fairies?"  
  
Zelda was confused. "What do you mean?"  
  
Tatl glowed a little brighter. "Didn't Mom's letter tell you? Mesmoria is a city built and completely populated by fairies."  
  
Zelda frowned. "You mean I was about to initiate trade with a city of fairies?" They nodded. "Why would I want to?"  
  
Skull Kid smiled. "Actually your majesty, we have one or two things to trade that you wouldn't want to give up. Just take a seat and I'll tell you all about it." Zelda sat down. It looked like this was going to be one of those days.  
  
Link whistled to himself as he walked up to the castle. The guard stopped him at the front fate until Link waved a piece of paper in front of him. "Is that a pass?" asked the guard. Link nodded. "Go on through," he said, opening the gate. Link walked through and headed up to the castle. He showed the pass to every guard in his way until he finally made it to the inside of the castle. Now he just had to find Zelda. He wandered through the castle until he decided to check the throne room. As Link entered, he could swear he heard familiar voices from inside the throne room, Zelda and three others. He went in, hoping he wasn't interrupting anything important. He was, sort of.  
  
Zelda looked up from her discussion, surprised. "Link! What are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to…" he stopped as he suddenly noticed whom Zelda had been talking to. The person turned around as well and was equally surprised. Finally, the silence broke.  
  
"SKULL KID?"  
  
"LINK?"  
  
The two ran up to each other. Navi flew out of Link's hat and went over to have a similar reaction with Tael and Tatl. Link was astonished. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Skull Kid shrugged. "I'm here on a diplomatic mission! What about you?'  
  
"I'm here on, a, important business."  
  
"Ah."  
  
Zelda stopped the conversation. "WAIT A MINUTE! You two know each other?"  
  
Link nodded. "Yeah, this is the Skull Kid I told you about! You know the one who was possessed by a demon? Almost blew up a world?"  
  
Zelda was surprised. "You're THAT Skull Kid?" He nodded. "Well, it's an honor to meet you then. Link, I'm sorry, but I need to finish this meeting. I'm trying to establish a trade alliance between this city of Mesmoria and us. However, I haven't found out what they have that's worth exporting just yet."  
  
Skull Kid was thoughtful. "You know, I don't really know what it is you have that is worth trading for. Why don't we continue this discussion in the marketplace and see what you have worth trading for."  
  
Zelda thought that was a good idea. "Okay, but I will need to change into my…disguise so nobody will recognize me. All of you please leave the room until I'm finished. Tatl can stay."  
  
"Why?" asked Tael.  
  
"She's a girl."  
  
"Why can't I stay?" asked Navi.  
  
"Because I said so! Now please, go!"  
  
Grumbling, everyone except Tatl shuffled out of the throne room. Tatl turned to Zelda. "So, what are you going to change into? I'm very curious to find out what you humans consider fashionable."  
  
"I'm not exactly going to change clothes, Tatl. I'm going to transform."  
  
"You mean you're going to become Sheik?"  
  
Zelda was surprised. "How did you know?"  
  
"Link told us a while back. Com on, I want to see some magic! By the way, why did you send the others out and let me stay?"  
  
Zelda frowned. "I'm not sure. I sense something between us, a bond of some sort, but I don't know what it means." She shrugged. "Guess I'd better transform.' She focused on her Triforce. It glowed bright blue. Zelda was encompassed in blue fire. She felt no pain, though she could feel her muscles getting larger, her clothes changing. When the fire subsided, she was Sheik.  
  
"Wow!" exclaimed Tatl. "Hey does this mean you're a guy now?"  
  
"No!" Zelda lowered her facemask, revealing that her face was exactly the same, except her eyes were red. "I've just changed my physique a bit."  
  
"Oh. Hey, what happened to your chest?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You know, you're um, support?"  
  
"What do you…" Zelda suddenly realized what Tatl was talking about. "Hey! That's personal!"  
  
"Sorry, sorry."  
  
Hey walked out of the throne room. Skull Kid looked at Sheik. "Nice disguise. No one would ever suspect you of being Princess of Hyrule."  
  
Sheik shrugged. "Whatever. Let's go to the marketplace."  
  
Majora flew down the hallways of the Citadel, passing by many demons. He finally made it to the courtyard, one of the few gardens in Hell. It was actually quite beautiful, in a mortal sense. The massive garden had been made by his father as a hobby, something to occupy his time while being eternally trapped in Hell. His father's pride and joy were the black roses, a special flower with hidden magic. Majora could see his father tending the roses right now. As Majora, approached, his father got up. He turned around. Majora's father, Satan, King of Demons and Lord of all Evil, was a tall being. Ten feet tall, with ram's horns and many spines on his back. He had no tail, wings, or hooves. He had no need of them. His skin was a mottled black and red. His face was terrible to behold, so it shall not be described. (Use your own imagination for this!) He spoke. "Ah, my son, at last you have arrived. I was starting to think you wanted to stay trapped in that mask forever after all." Majora gulped.  
  
"Father, I apologize for my lateness. Please tell me how I can become myself again."  
  
"I have found someone who can help you return to normal. As you know, I cannot do it myself because it was the golden magic of your cousins that imprisoned you. To do it, I would need to use an inordinate amount of energy, energy I would need for later. I need you to play a charade for a short time. I need you to pretend to be no more than a mask. Come to my hands." Majora floated into his father's hands, becoming inert. Satan turned towards one of the doors to the courtyard. "Bring him in."  
  
Two demons entered, leading a mortal in between them. Majora recognized the two demons as his brothers, the Demons of Courage and Wisdom. The demon on the right was Zartanis, Demon of Courage. He was clad in a knight's suit of armor, with a winged helmet and a long cape. The demon on the left was Somosa, Demon of Wisdom. He appeared to be a giant insectoid, like a praying mantis. The man in between them seemed strange. Then Majora realized that this man was alive! A real human, not a damned soul! What was he doing here? Majora observed the man. He was clad in black armor, with a dagger strapped to his belt. His nose was like a ski-jump, his skin seemed slightly greenish, and his hair was a flaming red. Strangely, his eyebrows seemed to grow from his hair. But his eyes were the most interesting things about him. They seemed to show the man's feelings. Majora could see plenty of hatred and rage, but also a good deal of fear and desperation. It seemed he wanted out, much like Majora did. Majora's brothers left the man, walking back into the citadel. The man bowed before Satan. "My lord, I merely wish to make an appeal to you."  
  
"Speak."  
  
"My name is Ganondorf, King of Thieves. I wield the Triforce of Power, the most powerful third of the Triforce. It was in the Sacred Realm, another dimension linked to my own, the land of Hyrule. I had gone to a great deal of trouble to get the keys that opened the gate to the Sacred Realm, but I failed. I was trying to get the last key, the Ocarina of Time, from that brat, princess Zelda. I failed there as well, but was surprised to discover that this other brat, a kid named Link, possibly a friend of the princess, had all the keys, including the Ocarina!" Majora was surprised. This man had encountered Link? He listened carefully. "I followed him to the gateway, where he used all the keys and pulled out the Master Sword, the final seal, opening the door to the Sacred Realm. I went inside and spent a few weeks trying to get the Triforce. When I did, the thing split into three pieces! I received the Triforce of Power, but I would be unable to rule the world unless I had all three pieces. I prepared to return to Hyrule, but I was somehow banished here! I'm not sure why, but I get the feeling that that kid did it somehow. I've been here ten years, waiting to meet you. All I want is to go home and have my revenge. Is that too much to ask?"  
  
Satan made a show of pondering for a moment. It was obvious to Majora that his father already knew everything about Ganondorf, but did not wish to alarm him too much. "I have made my decision, mortal. I shall return you to your home dimension, on one condition."  
  
"What? I have to find somebody to take my place?"  
  
"No.'  
  
"What then?"  
  
Satan handed Majora to Ganondorf. "Put on this mask."  
  
Ganondorf looked at Satan, surprised. "You're kidding." Satan shook his head. "All I have to do is put on this mask and I can go home? This is too easy." Ganondorf put on the mask. Majora made his move, reaching into Ganondorf's mind, trying to find the mental control for the Triforce of Power. He found it, and began focusing on the energies of the Triforce of Power, siphoning off its energy. Since the Triforce replicates its own supply of power, it has a limitless source of energy. Majora fed on that energy, absorbing it into his body. The more he siphoned, the closer he was to freedom. Majora was vaguely aware of Ganondorf's screams, but ignored them. He almost had enough energy to be himself again, and regrow a body! Just a little more…it was done. Majora floated off of Ganondorf's face. The evil king fell o his knees panting. "What-what was that?" He looked up to see Majora floating in front of him. "What…"  
  
Majora laughed and focused on the energies now contained within himself. It began. He floated twelve feet in the air. The face of the mask changed, becoming three dimensional, with a mouth and the same features of the mask. The head grew larger, a body forming beneath it. His body was heavily muscled, covered in green veins. His limbs were thick with black stripes all over them. His claws were huge and terrible to behold. His legs were bent-back, like a dinosaur. He had scales as well, lending to the reptilian look. His face now resembled that of a dinosaur or dragon, something reptilian but with a squat face, no protruding snout. He had no tail or spines. Majora laughed. "I am free!" He turned to a horrified Ganondorf. "For freeing me, I shall make you my lieutenant. Together, we shall crush Link for banishing us here!"  
  
Ganondorf recovered. "Wait a minute. Who are you, and what do you know about Link?"  
  
"I am the demon Majora, prince of hell. Ten years ago, Link prevented m from destroying a world in another dimension. I have waited a long time for my revenge."  
  
"Then we'll both get it. We'll crush Link, and take over the world!"  
  
"I'm afraid not, boys." Interrupted Satan. The two villains turned to him confused. "I want to kill Link myself. You two can take over the world, but leave Link to me." They sagged, looking disappointed. Satan handed Majora a piece of paper. "This is the spell you will use to summon me. The ingredients are listed at the top. This must be done during the six-hour period at the end of the solar equinox, which is now beginning in Hyrule. If you fail to complete the spell before the end of the equinox, you will have to wait another year to try again. Do you understand your mission?" They nodded. "Good. Now, to send you to Ganondorf and Link's homeworld. To keep out of notice, you will appear on the moon." A red portal of light appeared on the ground. Ganondorf and Majora entered it. As they started to vanish, Satan said, "Good luck."  
  
Link, Skull Kid, Sheik, and the three fairies explored Hyrule Castle Town. Sheik tried to keep up Skull Kid's interest. "The first store is the Happy Mask Shop, over there." They walked over to the shop, only to find a sign. It said, GONE DIMENSION-HOPPING. BE BACK IN A FEW MONTHS.  
  
"Figures," muttered Skull Kid. "Masks are something my people would be interested in, but we can't do a damn thing about it until the Salesman gets back. The next store was the Bazaar. Link decided to stand guard while Sheik and Skull Kid checked the store's inventory. "So, what do they have here?" Skull Kid asked Sheik.  
  
"See for yourself: Arrows, bombs, recovery hearts…not really anything else." She said disappointed.  
  
"Oh." Said Skull Kid, heading for the exit. Sheik followed.  
  
Link turned around as they came out. "So, did you find anything?" They shook their heads. "Well, maybe there's something at the potion shop."  
  
Sheik and Skull Kid entered the potion shop. They walked up to the counter and checked the inventory. "Well, let's see…" said Sheik. "Blue Fire?"  
  
"Nope. Who in their right mind would want cold fire?"  
  
"What about…fish?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Bugs?"  
  
"By Mom, we have bugs enough! We do live in the forest. Every now and then bugs try to infest the city. When you're the size of a fairy, some insects seem a lot bigger."  
  
"Poes?"  
  
"What would we want with a bunch of ghosts?"  
  
"Deku Nuts?"  
  
"No. No practical use."  
  
"Red, Blue, or Green Potions?"  
  
"No, fairies can do the equivalent by themselves."  
  
"What about bottled fairies?"  
  
"No, no, I really don't…DID YOU SAY BOTTLED FAIRIES?"  
  
"Why? Do you want some?" asked Sheik, hoping they had found some common ground.  
  
Skull Kid stared at Sheik in disgust. "How would you like it if fairies came out of the forest and put humans in jars?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."  
  
Skull Kid sighed, looking very depressed. "Humans can be so inconsiderate. And before you try to correct me, let me point out I have had over a millennium's worth of experience with your kind. So no, I do not want any bottled fairies."  
  
Just then, the Potion Shop owner came out of the back room (he had been on break) and saw Tael and Tatl. Gasping, he grabbed two jars and snatched the fairies up before Skull Kid or Sheik could do anything about it. "Ah, two fairies! I wonder how they got in here? Oh, well, onto the shelf with you." Skull Kid and Sheik looked at the man in horror. "What? Is something on my face?"  
  
Sheik took a step forward. Skull Kid stopped her. "Wait. Let me handle this." He walked up to the counter clerk. "My good man, how much would it take to convince you to give me all your bottled fairies, and convince you never to stock them again?"  
  
The man grinned. "It would take a lot more than you could ever have, beakface." Skull Kid didn't even flinch at the derogatory. He had been called worse.  
  
Skull Kid reached into his wallet and pulled out something, the angle wasn't good enough for Sheik to see what it was. Skull Kid handed over the object. "I believe this should be enough."  
  
The clerk opened and closed his mouth several times. "I'll get on it right away, sir." It took ten minutes, but the clerk managed to fit every bottled fairy into a sack, which he handed to Skull Kid. "I hope we have repeat business." The guy said hopefully. Skull Kid smiled and headed for the door. Sheik followed, amazed that Skull Kid had been able to change the man's tune so easily. How much money was in that wallet?  
  
Link welcomed them as they exited. "Hey, did you get anything?"  
  
"I'm not sure." Said Sheik.  
  
Skull Kid took a few steps, then dropped the sack, untied it, and opened all of the jars, releasing the fairies. "Go back! Back to the forests! It isn't safe here! Go, back to your homes and families!" Needing no more urging, the fairies flew away, leaving Tael and Tatl behind. The people in the marketplace stared as the large mass of fairies flew away. Skull Kid walked back to Zelda and Sheik. "So, what's next?"  
  
They continued to explore the marketplace. There was no need to look at the Bombchu shop or the arcades, but there wasn't much else to see. There were jewelry stores and toy stores, pawnshops and blacksmiths, but none of it interested the three ambassadors. They walked all over town and still found nothing to interest a city of fairies. Finally, Link stopped. "Look, I'm kind of getting tired. Why don't we go get lunch or something?"  
  
They stopped at an outdoor restaurant called "The Sleeping Pig." They took their seats and checked the menus. Eventually, a Goron waiter came by to get their orders. "What will you be having?"  
  
Link thought for a moment, then said, "I think I'll take the Deluxe Salad, with water, no ice."  
  
Sheik spoke her order immediately. "I'll take the Tektite legs, the fried Keese wings, and the Leever pie."  
  
The waiter turned to Skull Kid, not seeming to mind that he was an imp. "And what will the young sir be having?"  
  
Skull Kid wasn't happy with the limited selection on the kid's menu. "The only thing sounding even remotely appetizing on this goddesses-awful fat- free kiddy menu are these-what do you call them? Fries? I have no idea what those are, but they're the only things on this menu that aren't wholesome and healthy." The waiter nodded and headed for the kitchen. They waited.  
  
Link spoke up. "Well, for a restaurant called the Sleeping Pig, it actually seems quite nice. Not fancy, but nice."  
  
"Well, its good that it isn't fancy." Said Navi.  
  
"Why is that?" asked Tael.  
  
"Haven't you ever heard the old saying about restaurants and service?"  
  
"Oh, you mean 'you can tell a lot about the restaurant by the people working in it?'" asked Tatl.  
  
"No! It's 'the fancier a restaurant, the worse the service. This restaurant isn't very fancy, so the service must be pretty good."  
  
They all nodded. Finally, Sheik asked the question that had been on her mind during the entire trip: "Skull Kid, just what are your people offering to trade with us?"  
  
Skull Kid paused, then decided it couldn't hurt to tell. "All right, we're offering two things. First of all, do you know where rupees come from?"  
  
Sheik didn't know. "I've never really had to deal with money on a personal basis, at least not in this timeline."  
  
Link wasn't sure. "All I know is that I found rupees by cutting grass and breaking rocks."  
  
Skull Kid chuckled. "Actually, Link's answer is pretty much right." They looked at him, surprised. "You see, rupees are not produced by anything but the earth itself. They are naturally occurring gemstones, found in the wild. They are infinitely reproduced, so there is a limitless supply of money. The color of the jewel indicates its worth."  
  
Sheik frowned. "Wait, if there's an infinite source of money, then why do we even use rupees for money? An infinite supply would make them worthless as money. So why do we even have rupee-oriented businesses and markets if the money reproduces itself?"  
  
Skull Kid grinned. "It's a little prank my big sister Farore played on you all. She made the country so that the money reproduced itself, but made sure that no one found out on their own, because that would spoil the joke and cause the nation's economic downfall once everyone realized all their money had no actual value and was really quite pointless." He frowned. "That secret must never leave this restaurant. Do you understand?" They both nodded. "Good. Now, to get to the point. As I said, colors indicate worth. Green is 1R, blue is 5R, Red is 20R, Purple is 50R, silver is 100R, gold is 200R, Black is worth 1,000R, and White is worth 1000,000R." He pulled out his wallet. "Now, the higher the value of the rupee, the rarer it is. Now, take a look at my wallet." He opened his wallet, revealing a huge pile of black and white rupees. Zelda and Sheik's mouths dropped. "Mesmoria is sitting on top of possibly the only black and white rupee producing spot in the world." He closed his purse. "We probably can't trade money, though. It would be easy to be cheated." Link was still thinking about the money in the wallet. It was more money than he had ever seen in his entire life.  
  
Link turned to Navi. "Navi, why didn't you ever tell me about this?"  
  
"Hey, it's a special secret! I wasn't allowed to reveal it to anyone, even you. It's another family thing."  
  
Sheik recovered. "What are you actually offering to export?" Skull Kid pulled a large bag from his satchel. He opened it, dumping several vials onto the table. They seemed to be full of some strange dust, each vial holding a different color. "What are they?"  
  
Skull Kid grinned. "Fairy dust."  
  
Sheik frowned. "You're offering me dust?"  
  
"Not just any dust, your majesty. Magic dust. You see each fairy is born with the ability to do a special magic, depending on their color. Guardian and wild fairies are excluded from this list. All wild fairy dust does is heal. However, the dust of the Mesmorian fairies does more, much more. The magic of the fairy dust depends on the color."  
  
Link looked up at Navi. "How come your fairy dust doesn't do anything?"  
  
"You haven't ingested any of it." She responded.  
  
Skull Kid continued. "But you're probably wondering what exactly fairy dust is. It is a special compound formed by fairies when flying. Since fairies are made almost completely of magic, some of the magic overflows into the air molecules, forming a residue of dust-like particles. Depending on the magic's 'color', the dust has a different effect on a person when ingested."  
  
"Such as?" asked Link.  
  
Skull Kid spread the vials out in a row and pointed to each one when he described it. "Pink dust is from doctors. It heals people. Blue dust is from psychologists. It calms people down and makes them feel better. Purple dust is from laborers. It causes people to become stronger for a limited amount of time. Orange dust is from thinkers. It causes people to become smarter, also for a short amount of time. Brown dust is from architects. It can allow a person to figure out just where to put a house or what to make it look like. Yellow dust is from athletes. It makes a person faster, for a temporary amount of time. Red Dust is from soldiers. It makes people more alert, heightens their senses, for a limited amount of time. Green dust comes from magicians, and if a wizard ingests it, his/her magical powers are recharged."  
  
Link had a thought. "What if you don't have magic?"  
  
"Then nothing happens when you eat it. Gray dust is from nobles. It makes a person temporarily invisible. The last two kinds of dust are black and white, for royalty. They cause people to fly, but only for a short time."  
  
"How short are these time limits?" asked Sheik.  
  
"Three hours, give or take. If I were you, I would keep the more powerful ones away from the public. We wouldn't want anyone to use them for crime, now would we?"  
  
Sheik was interested. "That dust could revolutionize our armies. We could be unstoppable in battle."  
  
"There's more," said Skull Kid.  
  
"There is?" asked Link.  
  
"Yes. You see, the dust can be used for more than just magic. When contained, like in these vials, it can be used as a fuel. It is cheap, efficient, and not harmful. It could revolutionize your economy by selling it as a wonder fuel. Your royal treasuries would be full, and the average person will have gotten something worth their hard-earned money. Everyone walks away happy."  
  
"That does it. I agree to the trade alliance with Mesmoria." Said Sheik.  
  
Skull Kid looked sad. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but in the last hour and a half or so of walking in the marketplace, I have not seen a single thing worth trading for. Unless I find something soon, I will have to return empty-handed."  
  
The waiter, bringing them food interrupted the conversation. He set their dishes on the table and left. Link was about to eat the salad when Sheik asked him a question. "Link, why didn't you order any meat? Just out of curiosity."  
  
Link smiled. "Back in the woods, we only eat foods derived from the forest. Nuts, leaves, berries, insects, you know, the whole natural diet."  
  
Skull Kid frowned at his fries. "What's wrong, Skull Kid?" asked Tatl.  
  
"Yeah, its just food." Quipped Tael.  
  
Skull Kid looked up. "What are these fries made out of."  
  
"They're made out of fried potatoes, added with a lot of ingredients I don't know. It's mostly salt, I think."  
  
Skull Kid tried one. He froze. "Tael, Tatl, could you please taste these fries and tell me what you think of them?"  
  
The fairies tried the fries, freezing just like Skull Kid had. "This…this is the best food I've ever eaten!" cried Tael.  
  
"And the regular dish at home is ambrosia!" added Tael.  
  
The trio eagerly dug in, devouring the entire plate in five minutes. Zelda, Link, and Navi were too disgusted by this sudden outburst to touch their own plates. When they finished, they gave a sigh of contentment. Skull Kid turned to Sheik. "Your Majesty, I think we have just found something to trade for. The city's soil is too full of minerals for potatoes to grow. If you provide us with ingredients and the recipe for these fries, we will provide you with fairy dust. How does that sound?"  
  
Sheik and Link were stunned. Possibly the most important alliance Hyrule had ever made would be done in return for greasy food? This was too good an opportunity to pass up. "Since my father will be out of the country for the next month or so, I have complete ruling power. I have the authority to approve this alliance between our two cities."  
  
"Great! Spryte provided me with a drawn-up treaty for this. Shall we sign it?" He pulled out a fair-sized sheet of paper.  
  
Sheik took it and examined it, especially the fine print. There was nothing wrong with it. She put the document down. "All right, I'll sign it. Got a pen?" He handed her one. "She started to sign but paused. "Don't we need witnesses?"  
  
"I'm here." Said Link. "And so is Navi. Do we count as witnesses?"  
  
"I guess so." Sheik finished signing. She handed it back to Skull Kid, who signed his name, sealing the deal.  
  
Skull rolled up the treaty and put it away. "You realize this alliance has to remain a secret for now."  
  
"Of course."  
  
Skull Kid grinned. "In future times, this restaurant will become a famous place. It will be known as where the signing of The Treaty of Fries was signed. Now, get me a waiter so I can order more of the aforementioned fries."  
  
Space, the Moon: The moon of planet Garaton was a small one, more of a giant asteroid that had gotten caught in the planet's gravitational pull than a moon formed from chunks of the planet, like the one in our own world. It was the same size as the moon on the planet Arave (the world with Termina on it) had been until Majora had arrived. It had become spherical long ago thanks to gravitational forces and meteor showers. The moon was barren, lifeless, a wasteland. And it is where two villains appeared in a red crystal. As the crystal faded, Ganondorf looked around him, and above him, in disbelief. He saw his home, his planet, hanging above him. He turned to Majora, who was unaffected by the beautiful sight. "Is that my home?"  
  
Majora nodded. "That is your home planet, Garaton. If you look closely, you might be able to see the land of Hyrule. You can tell where it is by looking east of that great desert."  
  
"I can see it. It's beautiful! A shame it's landlocked. One of the things I planned to do once I gained rule over the world was blast open a wider passage to the sea from Lake Hylia, so Hyrule would no longer be landlocked."  
  
"How big a passage?"  
  
1 Ganondorf pointed to a medium-sized mass of land south of Hyrule. "See that area of green, untouched forest just south of Lake Hylia?"  
  
"What of it?"  
  
"It wouldn't be there."  
  
Majora grinned. "I like your way of thinking. You'll make a fine lieutenant. I can promise you that your wish will come true, and Hyrule will no longer be land-locked. But if I may ask, why do you want Hyrule to be connected to the ocean?"  
  
"Partly because I think the land would benefit by becoming a member of maritime trade, but mostly because we would be able to assault the fabled island of Atlantis. It's that huge island further southeast. It is supposed to be an ancient civilization, built by Zoras. They have untold treasures there. I would love to get a look at the treasure vaults there."  
  
"A fine ambition. But now we must get to work."  
  
"What exactly are we doing?"  
  
"Before we left, my father told me telepathically of something we can do to give us both the revenge we want on certain countries."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"When Link defeated me ten years ago, It was in another dimension. I failed to destroy that world, so we will bring it to ruin now. We will bring Hyrule to ruin as well. My Father told me a powerful spell, one that would rip the country of Termina off the face of its planet and bring it here, with all of its inhabitants, to Hyrule. The geography will still remain that of Hyrule, but now buildings and other areas will be completely transformed. The forest that you wish to become a sea passage will become more than that, it will become a Great Bay! We will both be able to get our revenge on the countries that have been out of our reach for so long. The two shall be combined forevermore, making a suitable base of power for when we summon my father in a month. We may not be able to harm our common enemy, but we can keep him under wraps until father arrives. Shall we begin?"  
  
"What do we need to do?"  
  
"I will begin the spell. I will call you when the time comes." Majora began to draw an insanely complicated spell diagram in the dust around him. Majora stood in the middle of the pattern. "Ganondorf, I request your assistance."  
  
Ganondorf walked over. "What do you need me to do?"  
  
"This spell requires blood to work."  
  
Ganondorf took a step back. "Wait. You mean you want me to…"  
  
"Two or three drops is all I need. If you don't do it, you'll never get your bay."  
  
Ganondorf sighed. He walked over to the edge of the diagram. Pulling out his dagger, he pressed the point lightly against his wrist, then pulled it away. A few drops of blood fell onto the diagram. "There. Will that do it?"  
  
Majora nodded. "That will do nicely Ganondorf. Now stand back, this is going to be a big one." Majora began chanting in a tongue unknown to Ganondorf. It was a spell, a powerful one. He could feel it in his marrow. He looked around as the ground began to tremble ever so slightly, the dust rattling. The lines of the diagram began to glow a deep, blood red. Majora continued to chant. "Ynmmbh.leivm bnietiofioiyiu5titiotiourio, ooiuiiu5cirrioriiioui, ii, timmrimt, Inuit" Ganondorf knew not the words Majora spoke, but he could sense the bone-chilling power in them, he could feel the very fabric of dimensions weakening as a result. He looked up towards the planet and couldn't help smiling. Soon, the world would be changing for the worse.  
  
What is going to happen next, you ask? Well, I'll need more reviews first! So shoo, go write me some good reviews! 


	3. A New Day (in Termina)

Hi, it's me yet again. I'm here to continue the epic story. Are you ready? Good.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the game. It's debatable whether or not I own Majora, but let's just leave it up to Nintendo shall we?  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Termina, Southern Swamp, Deku Palace, 8:00 A.M.: The Deku Princess, Deku squeak squeak squeak squeak burp burp heep yawned and woke up from her long sleep. She checked the calendar, noticing that today's date was circled on it. Today's the day, she thought. Today was the day her idiot father was finally resigning from being king of the scrubs. When he had made a solemn public address on the matter a week ago, all of the Deku Scrubs in the kingdom had a huge party in celebration. The king stupidly thought it was a party in honor of him and attended. Now that he was resigning, every citizen of the Deku Kingdom, even the monkeys, could look forward to lower taxes and less accidental fires. The Princess could soon become a queen, and she would finally be able to marry the butler's son, Deku squeak squeak burp squeak burp heeeep, the hero of the Deku Scrubs and the one who had helped saved her from Woodfall Temple, sort of. With this one move, her father had almost totally made up for when he accidentally killed her mother. It had been their fifth wedding anniversary. As usual, he went to the extreme, getting fireworks. It would have been fine, if he hadn't lit the fireworks inside of the throne room. The palace almost burned down, and her mother was the only casualty. The Princess shook herself out of her memory, knowing she had to get ready for her crowning. As she popped out of her flower and scurried over to her bathroom to get clean. As she burrowed into the water hyacinth to bathe herself, her thoughts turned once more to Deku squeak squeak burp squeak burp heeeep. She had been in love with him ever since he had reappeared after the Carnival of Time ten years ago, when the moon was destroyed. She had been surprised by his tale of being imprisoned in a mask, and of being used by the boy named Link, who had taken her out of the temple after defeating the monster that had captured her, but she believed him anyway. She couldn't wait until she proposed, after the crowning ceremony. She was very glad she wouldn't have to wear that huge crown of her father's. He only wore it because he thought it made him look imposing. She popped out of the hyacinth, shook the water out of her long leaves, and headed down to eat breakfast.  
  
Darmani, Hero of the Gorons and Goron Elder, uncurled and yawned. Scratching his rear, he staggered out of his bedroom and went to take his lava bath. When he finished, he checked his calendar, which had today's date circled on it. He gasped. He had completely forgotten that today was Little Darmani's birthday! Ten years ago, when the moon was falling, Snowhead was buried in ice and Darmani himself was dead, a boy named Link came, turned Darmani into a mask, and used him to save the mountain and later brought him back to life. He had been used a few other times after that, and had to save the mountain a second time because of the time warp, but that wasn't important. What was important was Little Darmani. When the snow thawed, the Goron Elder perished, for he had been standing on the frozen lake when spring arrived. He drowned, leaving his child, Little Darmani, with no family. Darmani, as senior Goron, took the role of elder and adopted the lad. He had raised him ever since. Darmani groaned. What kind of a hero or father figure forgot his kid's own birthday? He quickly raced to his closet and scrabbled through it, looking for something Little Darmani would like. Finally, he found something. It was a music box that played the Gorons Lullaby when opened. He raced down to the main hall of the Goron Shrine for breakfast. The other Gorons greeted him as he showed up. He sat next Little Darmani. "Hey Darmi, what took you so long? We've been waiting for five minutes! We're really hungry!" It was Goron tradition that the other Gorons could not eat breakfast until the Goron Elder showed up. It also meant that nobody could wake the elder up, either.  
  
Darmani grinned. "Sorry, I overslept." The other Gorons shrugged. They were all eager for the meal to begin. The birthday party was to be a surprise, and any moment now Darmani's wife, Direna, would wheel out her special marble cake. (Yes, it's made of real marble.) The torch lighters, Bob and George, blew out the lights.  
  
Little Darmani was scared. "Darmi, what's happening? I'm scared!" He was about to start crying when Direna brought the cake out on a big cart, its candles lit. She had outdone herself this year with the cake. As she placed it on the table, everyone urged Little Darmani to make a wish. He thought for a moment, then blew out the candles. Everyone cheered. Bob and George relit the torches.  
  
"So son, what did you wish for?" asked Direna.  
  
"I wished for…food!"  
  
The Gorons all agreed with that sentiment and started ripping off chunks of the cake. Darmani pulled out the music box. "Son, here is your birthday present." He handed it to his son.  
  
"Oh, thank you Darmi! What's in the box? What's in the box?" he started to open the box.  
  
"No, don't!" wailed Darmani.  
  
It was too late. Little Darmani opened the box, starting the song. "Wow, my favorite" that was all he could get out before he and all of the other Gorons fell asleep.  
  
Lulu, lead singer of the Indigo-go's and wife of Mikau, woke up. She looked around, realizing Mikau was still asleep. She noticed the calendar, which had today's date circled on it. "Today's the day," she whispered. Today was the beginning of the band's yearlong World Tour. The kids would be coming along, since they were technically a part of the band as well. Getting out of bed, (careful not to disturb Mikau) she headed for the door of their dressing room. She walked quietly past the dressing rooms of her fellow band members and her children's bedrooms. She knew nobody was awake in Zora Hall except herself. Since they were leaving after breakfast, she wanted to say goodbye to an old friend before anything else happened. She smiled to herself, remembering the day ten years ago when she had laid her eggs, only to have them stolen by pirates. Mikau had gone to rescue them, and had come back a week later with a new song. At that point her voice, which had steadily been fading, vanished completely. Mikau's song was a song her mother had used to sing to her. She had no idea how Mikau had known it, but her voice was restored and a giant turtle appeared, telling Mikau he had to go to Great Bay Temple and stop the evil that was making the water murky. He returned hours later, just in time for their rehearsal for the Carnival of Time gig. After that, he vanished until the actual gig. Afterwards, he told Lulu about how a boy named Link had saved him from death, turning him into a mask that he had used to save Great Bay and was later used to restore him to life. Lulu wasn't sure she believed it, but the giant talking turtle confirmed it. And after all, who in they're right minds would argue with a giant talking turtle? Speaking of which…Lulu walked out the back entrance of the Hall. The turtle, Juba-Juba, was waiting. He smiled as she showed up. "Ah, Lulu." He said in that soft voice of his. "How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine." She said.  
  
"You don't look fine. What's wrong?"  
  
She sighed. "It's this whole world tour thing. I'm not sure I'm ready."  
  
"Ah, now I understand. Why do you feel you are not ready? I have seen you and your friends packing up carefully, your manager Toto triple-checking everything. Why do you feel unready?'  
  
"I-I just don't."  
  
He nodded. "I understand completely. It is not that you feel unready, it is that you do not wish to leave. You have lived in the waters of Great Bay all your life, leaving only for the yearly gig at the Carnival of Time. Your tours have been only of the nearest Zora cities, no more. Today, you are taking your first step towards something new, something unheard of to you before. You will be going to places you have never heard of, meet peoples you didn't know existed, have adventures you have never dreamed of. And you are afraid of that."  
  
Lulu was surprised. "How did you…"  
  
Juba-Juba chuckled. "Lulu, I know you better than you know yourself. You are afraid of the change in scenery, afraid of leaving the country, but mostly afraid that nobody will like your music. But let me tell you something, Lulu. It does not matter how well the concerts go. All it matters is whether or not you make your fans happy. By joining the band in the first place, you made an obligation to your fans, your friends, and to yourself. Choosing to stay here would deny the fans around the world of hearing your music in person. Do you really want to do that? I think not."  
  
Lulu smiled. "You're right. I shouldn't be scared. I have an obligation to fulfill, don't I? It's just, well, I'll miss you. Whenever I need to talk to somebody who can help me understand my feelings, I try my husband first. But he's not that kind of man. You have helped me get through any problems I have for the last ten years, ever since that Link boy arrived. Will you miss me too?"  
  
Juba-Juba nodded. "I will greatly miss your singing and your company Lulu. However, when you are as old as I am, time doesn't seem to matter as much. It's only a year, after all." He looked at her. "I've said this before, but you remind me of your mother. She looked just like you."  
  
Lulu was curious. "In the years we've known each other, you've never told me how you became an observer of the seas, how you knew my mother, how you know me so well. I want to know."  
  
Juba-Juba sighed. "I thought it would come to this someday. Thousands of years ago, my species flourished. We were every bit as intelligent and long- lived as the whales, except we could talk. We migrated all over the world, seeing the sights, meeting many Zoras. Then, a thousand years ago, poachers came after my herd, using new weapons to penetrate our thick shells. I was the only one to escape the poachers. For a hundred years, I fled, evading the poachers, trying to find another herd. But I found none. I discovered that poachers had ruthlessly overhunted my species into extinction. I was the only one left. I made my way to Great Bay, where I decided to hide out until my death. I became a friend to the inhabitants, learning their ways. I already knew of Termina and the giants that protected it. But it was then that I learned of their friend, the imp, and how he had been left behind when the giants retook their posts. A few nights after that, the imp showed up, in a rage caused by his abandonment. He attacked the Zoras, leaving cruel pranks all over the bay. I woke up one morning to discover he had painted graffiti on my shell! But eventually, the imp left. I heard later that he had been banished from Termina. Life returned to normal in the Bay. One day, I saw a female Zora being chased by a Kraken. As I am the natural enemy of Krakens, I did battle with the beast and defeated it. The female thanked me and we became friends. Do you know who that Zora was, Lulu? No? It was your ancestor, Lulu the First, the founder and first lead singer in the Indigo-go's. That is how I became the friend of all the Lulu's in the band, thanks to one act of kindness. I became an observer of the seas, a ferryman to the temple. Back then the temple was visited a little more frequently, so I helped many Zoras get to the Temple safely. I have lived outside the Hall for the last thousand years, watching all that has gone on in the bay. I will be here for a long time, Lulu. I have lived longer than any other turtle. Do you have any idea why?" Lulu shook her head. Neither do I, but I have a theory. It is said that when a sentient species has but a single member remaining, the gods may grant that last being immortality, so his race will never completely die out. I believe that is what happened to me, but who can say? Maybe it's just luck. Now as to your mother, I met her when she was but a baby and we became friends like the rest of your ancestors. But then you were born. I only got to meet you once, when you were but a baby as well, before something happened that resulted in your mother's death and prevented me from seeing you again until ten years ago."  
  
"What was it?"  
  
"Pirates. They were descendants of the poachers who had exterminated my race, and were here for some booty from your people. I tried to stop them, but they had prepared a spell that knocked me unconscious for many years. Even so, I was still aware of events. The pirates were driven off, but at a terrible price. Both your parents died trying to fend off the pirates. A long time passed before I heard singing again at Zora Hall. But I did not awaken until Link played that song your mother used to sing. And so we met, and have become friends, just as I have been with all of your line." He floated silent.  
  
Lulu wasn't sure what to say. She finally knew how her parents died and had also opened up a painful wound in Juba-Juba's memories. She knew she should apologize. "I"  
  
"How are the kids?" He asked. It was obvious he was changing the subject. Lulu let him.  
  
"Well, Mikau jr. is taking after his father, playing the guitar. Lulu junior's voice is developing nicely. Japas jr. is doing well with the guitar as well; Evans jr. is becoming a master at the keyboard, Tijo jr. is working out the drums, and Zorro is doing great at running the stage crew. They weren't happy with being ordered around by a ten-year old, but soon got over it after he made some great changes in their jobs."  
  
"What about Toto jr.?"  
  
Lulu couldn't help smiling. "He's becoming as fat as his namesake." The old turtle laughed. He smiled.  
  
"I'll miss you Lulu. When you come back, tell me everything, okay?" She smiled and nodded.  
  
"Lulu! Lulu, where are you?" called a voice from the Hall.  
  
Juba-Juba turned around, preparing to go into the water. "You'd better go. Your husband's calling." He sank beneath the waves.  
  
Lulu could hear Mikau's calls getting louder. "Goodbye, my friend." She whispered. She ran inside.  
  
The King tapped his bony fingers on his armrest, losing patience. Where were they? They should have been here by now! He sighed and looked up at the windows, which had been boarded up to prevent another incident like the one that had happened ten years ago from occurring again. That young man, Link, had come through and defeated his two most powerful soldiers and then himself, using a combination of astounding sword techniques and sunlight. After the boy had left and broken the curse caused by that imp and the Stone Tower, things had gotten back to normal in the canyon. However, in recent times the king had been getting worried that his old enemies were regrouping for another attack like the one that had killed them all two hundred years ago. His Royal Highness, Igos du Ikana, Ruler of the small kingdom of Ikana Canyon and Lord of the Undead sighed and checked his calendar again. Today's date was circled on it, confirming his suspicions. He sighed. "Today's the day." He said to nobody. Today was the anniversary of the day they had all died. Two hundred years ago, Ikana Canyon had been a beautiful place. Lush and green, with trees and flowers. Everyone had been alive. The tiny but prosperous kingdom attracted the attention of the nearby nation of Hisfaria. They envied Ikana's prosperity and sought to conquer it, allowing them access to the rest of Termina and the riches therein. They had sent their most powerful warriors, the Garos, an elite group of ninja. The Garos had invaded the canyon and began the war. The brave soldiers of Ikana were not well trained, so fell to the blades of the Garos. The ninjas made their way through the canyon, making sure to kill everyone in the village. They made absolutely sure no one survived. They climbed over the walls of the castle, slaughtering the guards. The Garo Master alone ventured into the castle to finish his mission. He easily defeated Igos' bodyguards and finally went into battle with the king. Igos was the best fighter in the kingdom, so he was able to hold his own for a while. But the Garo Master was better, and struck a fatal blow. As he died, Igos struck a fatal blow as well, killing the Garo Master. The Garos shared a mystical link with the Master, so they died as well. However, by some strange force, none of those who died except for the women were unable to leave the world. They remained in Ikana Valley, now undead and without any females. They could no longer stand the sunlight, except for the Garos, the Gibdos, and the Stalchildren. Things weren't quite miserable, but they had been a bit depressing. Igos really hated this day, because it was a reminder, a mockery of the day his life literally took a turn for the worst. His musing was interrupted when three figures entered the room. They had finally arrived. All three figures were cloaked. The two taller ones were covered in hoods and robes, so no part of their bodies showed. The third, smaller figure was cloaked as well, but only so his face was hidden. He was not one of the undead, but something else. He had a single, red eye visible despite the gloom of his cloak. The figure was obviously not human. The two tall ones took off their cloaks, revealing Igos' inept bodyguards, the twin brothers Igor and Ygor.  
  
The bodyguards bowed. Igor spoke. "Your majesty, despite many perils…"  
  
"He fell down the well." Grumbled Ygor.  
  
"And looking in the face of danger multiple times…"  
  
"He got frightened by that paranormal researcher guy in the music box."  
  
"And being attacked many times by the enemy…"  
  
"A Guay pecked his head."  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"I am providing an unbiased and true report for the king!"  
  
"At my expense!"  
  
"But all those things happened to you!"  
  
"So?"  
  
"So, you're fibbing!"  
  
"Am not!"  
  
"You're feeble!"  
  
"I am not!"  
  
"Yes you are! Feeble feeble feeble feeble feeble feeble feeble feeble feeble feeble feeble feeble feeble feeble feeble feeble!"  
  
"I'm the greatest swordsman in all Ikana!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Am too!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Am too!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Am too!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Am too!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Am too!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"How come?"  
  
"Because I'M the greatest swordsman in Ikana!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Am too!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Am too!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Am too!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Am too!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Am too!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Am too!"  
  
"Are not!"  
  
"Am"  
  
"SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" roared Igos. "First off, neither of you are the greatest swordsman in Ikana! I am! For another thing, YOU TWO ARE THE MOST ANNOYING BODYGUARDS IN THIS UNIVERSE! GET OUT BEFORE I PERSONALLY RIP THE BOARDS OFF THESE WINDOWS AND HURL YOU OUT THEM INTO DIRECT SUNLIGHT SO I WILL BE RID OF YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL! Now, GET OUT!" The idiots ran from the room. Igos panted for several moments before calming down. Relaxing, he turned to his guest, who hadn't made any reaction to the previous outburst of rage. "I apologize for my outburst. It's just that today is my least favorite day of the year. Those two are grinding me on my last nonexistent nerve."  
  
"Why don't you just fire them?" asked the guest.  
  
"In this cruel mockery of death, we must all play the roles we had in life. I cannot fire them. Now, you're probably wondering why I called you here."  
  
The figure paused, then pulled off his hood. His head was like a human's except he had no hair or nose, and had a single red eye. He was a rare Hinox, a Cyclops. His one eye allowed him to see many things that most people could not. He could see at long distances, read certain minds, look through walls, and even see what is not visible. He went by the name of Poehunter, and had come to the kingdom a hundred years hunting for ghosts. As a ghost hunter, he was very skilled in different fighting techniques. He captured ghosts and collected fees for it. All of the ghosts he captures go into special bottles, which he keeps around his waist. When battling a difficult spirit, he can release a ghost and use it to battle the other, weakening it enough to be captured. He had captured the dreaded Poe sisters and guarded them at the old jail. He was trying to tame them enough to be put in a bottle, but he had to keep them locked up until he succeeded. "Yes, I was wondering why you called me here."  
  
"Poehunter, I need to know what you have seen of the Garo these last few days."  
  
Poehunter frowned. "Why do you wish to know?"  
  
"This past night, I had a dream that the Garo were on the move, preparing some attack. It's probably nothing, but I want you to tell me anything you know. And I want the truth."  
  
"What makes you think I know anything? I am but a humble ghost catcher."  
  
"Dammit, stop playing these games! I know you can see more with that eye than you let on, more than enough to make up for your lack of depth perception. Tell me the truth, now."  
  
Poehunter relented. "For the last week, I have seen the Garo moving about the Stone Tower. They are doing something in the temple, but I know not what it is. I do have a clue, however."  
  
"Igos leaned forward. "Yes, what is it?"  
  
"A Garo passed by the hut late last night. As you know, undead minds are not something I can look into easily. However, I was able to catch a few snippets of memory. I saw the Garo Master, rallying the Garo in the Stone Tower Temple. He said something about a weapon of light, fulfilling their ancient mission, and attacking the rest of Termina. Then I saw the Garos collecting pieces of some strange glass, like a mirror but it did not really reflect anything. It seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Does any of this help?"  
  
Igos nodded. "Thank you. You may go." Poehunter bowed and left. Igos pondered this. A weapon of light? That would surely guarantee victory for the Garos if they turned it on the undead! But where would they get something like that in the tower? Suddenly, he remembered an old story about the temple, how there were mirrors that absorbed light and shot it out instead of simply reflecting. Igos suddenly understood his enemy's plans. If there were to be a battle, it would have to be at night, since the undead were killed by light. If the Garos were able to use these absorbing mirrors on the undead, they would win instantly. Igos realized he would have to make a first strike, before the Garos were finished with their mirrors. It meant he would have to do the unthinkable: storm the Stone Tower.  
  
Dotour, mayor of Clock Town, woke up. He looked out the window onto the bustling people in the streets. He smiled at the clock tower. His smile grew wider as he saw the calendar, with today's date circled on it. Today's the day, he thought. He would have sung it if he wanted to wake his wife up, which he didn't. He headed for the bathroom to get ready. He had to put on a good appearance after all. Today was the day when the new mayor of Clock Town was to be elected and put into office. As usual, Dotour had run for his own office again. He was very confident he was going to win, for two very good reasons. One, everyone was happy with the way he ran things. Second, nobody else bothered to run. Dotour was going to be mayor again for another year. As he finished getting ready, he went down to the kitchen to make himself and his wife breakfast. He whistled a tune to himself as h made his meal. His thoughts turned to his son Kafei. He and Anju were doing quite well in the Stock Pot Inn. There son, Tortus was doing well. His thoughts turned again, to the strange young fellow who had made so many people in Termina happy. The boy named Link had saved Dotour from a horribly long meeting, cheered up his wife, and reunited Anju and Kafei in time for the wedding. Of course, he couldn't forget that the boy also saved the entire moon from doomsday and restored people's faith in the heavens. He wondered for a moment if he would ever see Link again. He decided he would check on his son and his family after the election. It would be good to see Anju's grandmother, his old teacher, again. It was too bad she was so old, she thought almost everyone who walked through her door was her dead son, Tortus sr. Whistling some more, he sat down to eat breakfast.  
  
Now: Ganondorf watched as the spell continued. Majora seemed to be nearing the end. He had been chanting for fifteen minutes, and the spell circle was glowing extremely brightly. All that was left was for Majora to utter the command to unleash the spell. Majora's chanting stopped. The mighty demon paused for a few seconds, then unleashed an awesome scream. What was most awesome was that Ganondorf could not hear it. He could see Majora exhaling, his body trembling, but he could hear nothing. This was because the spell command was of an interdimensional nature, that only those who were immortal could hear. And hear it they did.  
  
The Kokiri wheeled the big birthday cake into the Deku Tree's meadow. It was another masterpiece, made by the Kokiri chef, Mido. After Link stood up to him ten years ago, Mido and Naro stopped being bullies and took up cooking. Since Mido was no longer leader, Saria was put in his place. Mido started expressing himself through his culinary skills, making the perfect dish every time. He had really outdone himself on this latest cake, and everyone was eager to start eating it. Saria walked up to the cake as everyone started singing the birthday song. As Saria blew out her candles, everyone cheered. They started to cut the cake. Suddenly, the Deku Sprout started gasping. The Kokiri stopped cheering and turned towards their deity. "What's wrong, Deku Sprout?" asked Saria.  
  
"Can you-can you not hear it?"  
  
"Hear what?"  
  
"Evil…" Suddenly, the Kokiri and all the fairies in the village and beyond could hear it. They fell to the ground screaming, clutching their heads in pain.  
  
Ruto looked across the rock table at Tito. They were waiting for their meal at the Zora Café. She fingered her necklace with the Zora's Sapphire. She finally decided it was time. She opened her mouth, ready to ask him the big question. Suddenly, a long, echoing wail could be heard. It was a deep sound, one that affected all the Zoras. "What is it?" asked Tito.  
  
Ruto got out of her seat. "Its Jabu-Jabu! Something's wrong with him!" She ran towards the entrance to Zora's Fountain.  
  
"Wait for me!" yelled Tito, racing after her.  
  
They reached the fountain. Jabu-Jabu was singing a whale-song, but one of pain instead of happiness. He was writhing about, much like a normal fish. Ruto ran up to the feeding platform. "Jabu-Jabu, what's wrong? Are you having a problem with indigestion?"  
  
Jabu-Jabu looked at her then did something astonishing. He spoke, albeit telepathically, while continuing his song. "No, I am not suffering from indigestion! I am suffering from something far worse!"  
  
Ruto gaped. "You-you-you-you-you spoke! To me!"  
  
"Yes I did. Now please, listen! I am in pain because of a scream, an evil scream from some distant place. It is affecting only immortals such as myself. It will end soon enough, but when it does, this land will be changed forever." He stopped talking, his eyes rolling wildly. "The ocean…I must reach the ocean."  
  
"But Jabu-Jabu, you can't fit in the river! It doesn't lead straight to the ocean; it only goes to Lake Hylia, which sends water to the sea through an underground channel! And even if it did go to the ocean, you would never make the journey. You're too big, and I hear there's a waterfall, and you can't even swim out of the fountain!"  
  
Jabu-Jabu wailed then did something amazing. He jumped out of the water, straight into the air. He was flying! He wobbly flew towards Lake Hylia, singing his song of pain the entire way. Ruto and Tito stared after him in amazement. "This isn't good, is it?" asked Tito.  
  
"Is everything packed yet?" asked Toto impatiently. They were hours behind schedule, thanks to an extremely complicated accident involving Evans and the dead giant crab hanging from his ceiling.  
  
"Everything's packed Chief." Said Mikau.  
  
"Good. Now if we're all set…" suddenly, all in Zora Hall could hear a keening wail. "What is that?"  
  
"It's Juba-Juba. Something's wrong with him!" said Lulu.  
  
Toto groaned. Another delay! "Try to calm him down. We're late enough as it is!"  
  
"Right, Chief!" yelled Lulu as she ran for the back door. Outside, she found Juba-Juba wailing. "Juba, what is it?"  
  
Juba concentrated, trying to speak. "Lulu…I…hear…something. It…is…evil."  
  
"What is causing it?"  
  
"I…do…not…know. It…seems…familiar. Like…the…evil…from…ten…years...ago." He could no longer restrain himself, and started screaming again. Lulu heard another, deeper scream coming from the direction of the temple. It sounded like the giant was affected as well! Juba was right. Only an evil like the one from ten years ago could affect the protective god of the seas this badly.  
  
Half an hour ago: Igos, cloaked completely in armor, strode in front of his troops. In preparation for the battle, he had completely covered his body to protect himself from the sun. He wore a helmet with a visor to protect his eyes. Igor and Ygor were similarly adorned. The three of them were the only ones adorned in that way, except for the Blue Bubbles, the Redeads, the Floormaster, and the Stalfos. The Gibdos and the Stalchildren were immune to the sunlight, as was Captain Keeta. They were not immune to light magic, but direct sunlight could not hurt them. Igos turned to face them. "Troops, for the last two hundred years we have allowed the foul scourge that killed us in the first place to live in our midst. We trusted them not to do anything too rash or fulfill their original mission. Our trust was misplaced. The enemy is even now plotting our downfall, and the downfall of our beloved Termina. We must, no, we will stop them from this!" The troops cheered. "We shall put an end to the scourge of the Garo once and for all!" The troops cheered. "We will march up to the Stone Tower and defeat them!" The troops ran for the front gates at the mention of the Stone Tower. Fortunately, the gates were closed and the side entrance had been sealed off years ago. They ran for the well, only to find it filled with water. They realized they would have no choice but to follow their king. Soon, they were heading for the Tower. Igos led them inside, showing them how to cross the abyss. They used their military-regulation hookshots to scale the tower, using the Elegy of Emptiness to move blocks in place. Keeta had no need of hookshots, but had a little trouble crossing the blocks until he realized it would be easier to walk across then jump. In this manner, they scaled the tower and entered the temple, interrupting another Garo rally.  
  
The Garo were all seated in the main courtyard's shallow pit, with the Garo Master strutting on the platform in the middle. His demagogue was interrupted when Igos' army entered. The ninjas were very surprised. They had not expected the enemy to come out in broad daylight, climbing up the forbidden tower. Garo Master was eager, however. "Igos, how are you old friend?"  
  
Igos scowled beneath his helmet. "We are here to stop you from fulfilling your ancient mission. You will never trouble the canyon or this country again. If you leave now, we will not have to kill you"  
  
The Master chuckled. "Igos, you know we cannot leave until our mission is accomplished."  
  
"Even if the country that issued your orders no longer exists?"  
  
"Orders are orders. You're a military man, Igos, you should know that better than any of us. No, wait, we're all military men aren't we?"  
  
"You leave me no choice. Attack!" The armies leapt into battle. The Garo Master backflipped and ran for a door at the other end of his platform, beneath a giant, hideous statue. Igos jumped after him, briefly wondering what would happen if he ran into the guardian giant in this temple. He decided it would probably squash the Garo Master and leave him be. He ran through the door that the Garo Master had just entered, finding himself in another courtyard, on a bridge over a pool. Garo Master was at the other end of the room, at another door. He was about to enter. "Garo Master!" shouted Igos. The ninja stopped. "Garo Master, come and fight me! Die with honor!"  
  
"I think not! Eyegore, attack!" He ran through the door. What's an Eyegore? Thought Igos until he saw the large, metallic, one-eyed monster stomping towards him from across the bridge. Oh, that's an Eyegore. He ran towards it. The monster responded by firing laser beams from its eye. Blocking with his shield, Igos ran forward. He threw a Deku Nut to the ground, temporarily blinding the beast. He shot the monster in the eye with his hookshot, damaging it. The Eyegore prepared to fire another laser, but Igos used another nut, followed by another Hookshot attack. He did this six times, until finally the monster sat down and started flashing. Igos backed away quickly as the monster exploded. With the Eyegore gone, Igos ran through the door across the bridge. He found himself in another room with a smaller, narrower bridge across a pit. It wouldn't hurt him to fall, but he didn't want to risk anything. He ran across the bridge, entering the next chamber. It was large and empty, with a hole in the ceiling. At the other end of the chamber was Garo Master. He stepped forward. "Ten years ago, a little boy in green came through here and slew me in battle."  
  
Igos frowned. "Then why are you still here?"  
  
The Master chuckled. "The boy killed many of my servants as well, but they're still here."  
  
"You didn't answer the question."  
  
"Do you know why we Garo die without leaving corpses?"  
  
"No."  
  
"In life, it was part of our code, so we would never have a dead Garo in enemy hands. However, in our half-life, it is an advantage."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"If there is no corpse, there is no real proof of death. As long as we leave no corpse when we die, we cannot stay dead! We regenerate our bodies, coming back with even more strength! So go ahead and kill me. I've already died once in this form. If you strike me down, I will merely return, stronger than ever." His sword-arms slid from his robe. "Are you ready?" The Master charged. Igos charged. They're swords locked.  
  
The battle was going well for the Ikana army. They did not know of the Garos regeneration, so they just killed as many as they could. When the lone Floormaster had been killed, he became three baby Floormasters, each armored. They choked several Garos to death before growing into three adult armored Floormasters. The Gibdos paralyzed then sucked the energy out of every Garo in reach. The Stalfos helped out their younger brethren whenever possible. Igor and Ygor were having fun, each counting the number of Garos killed so they could boast to the other about how many they had killed afterwards in yet another attempt to prove which brother was better. Captain Keeta crushed Garo after Garo with immense body. More Garo kept pouring in, and kept getting slaughtered. The soldiers were happy, for in death they were finally able to stand against the enemy that had slain them in life. Since they had none of the needs a human did, they did not grow weary, their strength staying at maximum. The Garos had lost plenty of ground. Even though they would regenerate in a month as more powerful ninjas, they would have wasted a lot of time and effort. The Ikana army would have made sure to shatter all the strange mirrors in the temple, and break the pieces until they were too small to ever be of use again. Fortunately for the evil ninjas, there was a backup plan. One Garo snuck by the other fighters, heading for the exit. Once outside the temple, he hopped onto one of the floating blocks and turned, looking down towards the light-sensitive switch that reversed the gravity of all the things in the temple and tower not attached to the ground. Since the switch could not work if the sun hit it from a high angle, and the tower walls and floating blocks prevented it from being activated by the sun from a low angle, it could only be activated by an artificial blast of light, such as a Light Arrow. Or a special mirror. The Garo pulled a fragment of the special mirrors from his robe, concentrating on it as he aimed for the switch. A sunbeam shone from the fragment, activating the switch. As the ancient magic of the temple activated, all of the fighters in the Temple found their gravity reversing. As the Garo outside fell into the sky, he thought My mission is accomplished. I will return with full honors. Most of the fighters fell as well, leaving a mere half dozen Stalchildren and three Garos. The Stalchildren would have perished if Captain Keeta hadn't pulled himself onto the ledge and flattened the Garos. They cheered.  
  
Igos was very surprised when the temple flipped over. "What just happened?"  
  
"My backup plan just went into effect. Most of your troops are falling towards outer space as we speak. When I reset the gravity to normal, your troops will smash themselves to pieces when they hit the ground."  
  
Igos was horrified. "I'll kill you for that!"  
  
"Don't you remember? You can'! Ahahahahahahahaha…say, do you hear something? It sounds like a scream."  
  
"Yes, I hear it. How odd." Then, the full effect of the scream kicked in, and they fell to the ground, clutching their heads and screaming. The same thing was happening to Keeta and the Stalchildren. The skeletons rolled around in pain, and fell off the narrow ledge they had been standing on. From deeper inside the temple, a great bellow could be heard, as the guardian giant cried out in pain. As Igos and Garo Master rolled around in pain, they got to close to the hole in what used to be the ceiling. The two enemies fell, wailing, into the sky.  
  
Kaepora Gaebora, former Sage of Light and Link's spirit guide, hooted contentedly to himself as he flew over Hyrule. Today was a good day. He had caught a good many field mice for breakfast that morning. The sun was shining, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and he was getting excellent thermals from the field. Kaepora Gaebora had once been a human, a thousand years ago. He had been one of the Ihar, the long-lived humanoid species of planet Gavalon, otherwise known as the Sacred Realm because it had been the home of the Triforce. He had been the first Sage of Light and built the Temple of Light. He had died in a strange accident he couldn't quite recall, and the job had gone to his son, Rauru. For some reason, instead of merely passing on, he was reincarnated as an owl spirit. He didn't really mind. He still had many of the powers he possessed as a mortal, and he got to fly. Twenty years ago, he had been assigned as spirit guide to the boy named Link. He was told to meet Link when he left the forest for the first time. Kaepora didn't quite understand why an owl, a symbol of wisdom, would be assigned to a boy destined for the Triforce of Courage. To the old bird, it would have made more sense to have assigned a lion as Link's spirit guide. Oh, well. He had tried appealing for a reassignment when he learned of Link's destiny, but failed. Kaepora hated bureaucracy. Oh well. He thought about visiting his old friend Juba-Juba some time. It had been a while since he had last visited Termina. Hooting some more, he stopped hooting when he heard a strange noise. What was it? It sounded like a scream…then the pain started. Kaepora screeched, almost plummeting from the sky. He struggled to regain control, despite the unbelievable agony he was experiencing. As he wobbly kept on flying, he scanned the planet, trying to figure out where the scream was coming from. He soon realized it was from off the planet! Trying to remain conscious, he scanned the moon, and was horrified at his discovery of the source of the scream. It couldn't be! But it was. He had to get to Link, to warn him of this evil before it was too late. Doing another scan, he found Link in Hyrule Castle Town. Changing direction, he flew towards the town.  
  
Link, Sheik, Navi, Tael, Tatl, and Skull Kid were enjoying their lunch. They thought that they deserved this meal, after such an important peace signing. As they waited for the bill, Skull Kid had a favor to ask of Link. "Hey, do you think you could give us a ride back to the forest? We would really appreciate it."  
  
Link wasn't sure, until he remembered he could just warp back to town to ask Zelda his proposal after he dropped the trio off. "Sure, I'll do it."  
  
"Thanks. I really apprecia…" he stopped. "Do you hear something? Like screaming?"  
  
"No." said Link and Sheik.  
  
"I hear something." Said Navi.  
  
"Yeah, same here." Said Tael.  
  
"It does sound like screaming." Said Tatl.  
  
Then, the agony began. The three fairies and the imp fell to the ground screaming. Skull Kid's eyes were dilated, as he rolled around, clutching their heads. "What's going on!?" asked Link.  
  
"I have no idea." Said Sheik.  
  
That's when a huge, feathery bullet dropped from the sky, smashing through many tables and frightening many of the diners into a faint as it skidded to a halt in front of Link. "Link immediately recognized the owl. "Kaepora Gaebora! What's wrong? What's happening to my friends?"  
  
Moaning in pain, the owl looked up. "Link…I…had…to…warn…you. There…is…great…evil…afoot. Two…are…behind…this…evil."  
  
"Who? Who are they?"  
  
"They…are…they…are…" Kaepora gasped, his eyes bulging, as he blacked out, going into a coma from the sheer pain.  
  
Majora stopped screaming. "Is it finished?" asked Ganondorf.  
  
The demon nodded. "The spell is activated. In moments, the two lands will merge permanently. And then our evil work may begin." The villains gazed up at the beautiful blue-green sphere that was the planet Garaton, contemplating how soon it would be black and red from the blood of the innocent.  
  
Spooky, huh? If you want me to continue, please give me more good reviews! I need reviews! 


	4. Worlds Collide

Once again, it is I, pi2, the master of this story line. If you wish to find out the fate of Termina and Hyrule, read on...if you dare!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything that belongs to Nintendo, blah blah blah blah blah, you get the drift.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
In Termina, something was happening. It was subtle, so no one noticed something was happening until it was too late. It started in the south, with the entire swamp and everything in it, vanishing, leaving a huge crater. The same happened in Snowhead, as the entire mountain disappeared. Great Bay vanished, causing the ocean water to fill in the remaining hollow. The Canyon vanished, leaving a more average, steep canyon. The Ranch area vanished, leaving the old Gorman Track behind. The Gormans would have been happy that Romani Ranch was gone for good if they hadn't been pulled away with it. Clock Town vanished as well, leaving only Termina Field populated by the average monsters. Every living thing that had been in the disappeared areas vanished with it. As the objects and people were hurtled through time and space, they were frozen until the destination was met. And then they arrived. Suddenly, every area in Hyrule was different. The forest had gained a lot more water; The  
Forest temple was now inside Woodfall, for the two temples had combined. The forge from the Mountain Village and the Astral Observatory were now inside Kakariko. Death Mountain now had a larger city, a racetrack was now in Dodongo's Cavern and the Fire and Snowhead Temples had merged. Lon Lon Ranch's outer wall vanished as the ranch gained new buildings and more land. As Great Bay merged with Lake Hylia, The forests to the south of it were destroyed by the dimensional displacement, leaving a huge bay open to the ocean. Zora Hall was now inside Zora's Domain. The Water and Great Bay Temples had become one. Gerudo Canyon now had a graveyard, and the Fortress was now intersected with the castle. The Ikana village was there as well, complete with music box house, houses, but no Springwater cave. The Desert Colossus and the Stone Tower were now the same massive structure. Hyrule Castle Town and Clock Town had now become a single city, and the Temple of Time and the Clock Tower  
were inexplicably intertwined. Majora grinned. "It's finished."  
  
"Great! When do we attack?" asked Ganondorf.  
  
"Midnight."  
  
"Midnight? Why wait that long?"  
  
"To make for a dramatic entrance."  
  
"But what will we do until then?"  
  
The demon conjured up a magic window. "We can use this to see how the mortals of the new land are dealing with the synergy." Ganondorf sighed and turned to the window. He knew it was pointless to argue with a demon.  
  
Saria and the other Kokiri were confused. They got up, their headaches gone. "What was that?" asked Fordo.  
  
"I don't know, but I don't like the looks of that." Said Moira, pointing to the newly appeared Woodfall.  
  
"What happened?" Saria asked Patch.  
  
He shrugged. "I have no idea. Deku Sprout, do you know what happened?"  
  
The sprout shook his head. "I suggest you return to the village. You might find a clue there. Like why there is now a stream coming into my clearing." The Kokiri and the fairies turned and saw that he was right. There was a stream coming from the passage to the village. Saria led the way back to the village.  
  
Inside the Deku throne room, the scrubs looked around in confusion. There was now a tree house sticking out of the fireplace. "What's that doing there?" asked a confused Deku King.  
  
"We can deal with that later, father. Finish the ceremony!" squeaked Deku squeak squeak squeak squeak burp burp heeeep anxiously. When the spatial displacement had occurred, the King had been about to place a wreath on his daughter, signifying his resignation of the throne and the new rule of his daughter.  
  
"Oh, right." Said the king. He placed the wreath on her forehead, pronouncing her queen of the Deku Kingdom. All the scrubs cheered happily, but Deku squeak squeak burp squeak burp heeeep and her friend the monkey were applauding louder than they all did. She smiled. She would finally be able to marry her hero.  
  
The Queen turned to the courtiers, ready to make her inauguration speech. "My people..."  
  
She was interrupted when the two guards ran in. "Your Majesty! Your majesty!"  
  
The former king pointed to the queen as he took his oversized crown off. "My daughter's in charge now. Go talk to her."  
  
They did so. "Your majesty, something incredible has happened! You have to come and see for yourself!" Her curiosity piqued, the Queen followed the guards outside. The courtiers and her friends tagged along. When they reached the front gate of the palace, the guards moved out of the way so they could see for themselves. The entire group of Deku gasped in awe. They were definitely not in the swamp. The palace had appeared in the spot with Link's tree house. The entire Kokiri village was now covering a larger area. The ground was covered by water, caused by a waterfall from the Lost Woods. All the houses of the Deku Scrubs were mixed with the homes of the Kokiri, each on a separated island. Bridges of lily pads and logs connected the village. The Magic Hag's Potion Shop was now perched on top of the Kokiri Shop. The Swamp Tourist Information Center was stranded on a solitary island. The Deku Scrub villagers looked in confusion at what had happened to their old village.  
Woodfall could be seen in the distance, in the Lost Woods. The Deku King screamed and ran back into the palace. Everyone looked for what he had been screaming from and saw the Kokiri on the bank of the river outlet that led to the Tree. They were, of course, as much surprised to see the Kokiri as the Kokiri were to see what had happened to their village.  
  
The children all stared at what had happened to their village. Everyone except Saria and Patch decided to stay near the Deku Tree, where it was safe and Scrub-less. Saria wasn't sure what to do. "Patch, what...what happened?!?"  
  
"I have no idea. Do you think those Deku Scrubs might know anything about it?"  
  
"Maybe we should ask." She hopped onto the nearest lily pad and made her way to the closest building, the shop.  
  
As she neared it, the door to the Magic Hag's Potion Shop opened up. Koume peered out and screeched. "Kotake! Kotake! Come quick!"  
  
Kotake ran over and saw the new swamp. "Oh my, by the gods! What has happened?"  
  
"Um, hi." Said Saria from the ground.  
  
The witches screeched for a moment, surprised. "Oh, it's a child!" said Koume.  
  
"We'll be right down!" yelled Kotake. They ran back into the store. A few moments later, the twins flew down on their broomsticks. Saria stared as they landed.  
  
"Are you witches?" she asked.  
  
The hags laughed. "Of course we're witches!" said Koume.  
  
"Ah. Are you evil witches?"  
  
"No." said Kotake.  
  
"Do you know what's happened to my village?" The twins shook their head.  
  
"We were hoping you would know what had happened to our swamp." Confessed Koume.  
  
"Sorry we can't help you dearie." Said Kotake sadly.  
  
Saria sighed. "Do you know who's in charge around here?"  
  
"Ooh, that would be the Deku King. He lives in that huge palace over there." Said Koume, pointing to the Deku palace.  
  
Saria gasped. "It's right over my friend Link's house!"  
  
The hags gasped as well. "You know Link?" asked Kotake.  
  
"Yes, he's my best friend." The hags gasped again. "How do you know about him?"  
  
Koume blushed. "Ten years ago, a young boy named Link saved my life after I was nearly beaten to death by a Skull Kid wearing a strange mask "  
  
Saria thought for a moment. "Wait, would you happen to be Koume and Kotake?" They nodded. "From the land of Termina?" They nodded again. "OH! You're from another dimension!"  
  
"We are?" asked the witches in unison.  
  
"Yes! You're now in the land of Hyrule, a dimension different from your own. You seem to have brought along a lot of your homeland as well."  
  
"We're in another dimension?" Koume asked Kotake.  
  
"I guess so." Said Kotake.  
  
"But how did this happen? And how did our home get brought here with us?"  
  
"I don't know. This bears taking a look into. Come, let's check our spell books."  
  
"Right!" They hopped on their broomsticks. "Thank you, young...what was your name?"  
  
"Saria."  
  
"Yes, thank you Saria!" the twins flew back to their shop.  
  
"Weird." Muttered Patch.  
  
"What is?"  
  
"Everything! The witches, the water, the scrubs, the list goes on."  
  
"Yeah..." said Saria. "Maybe the King will know something. Let's go see him."  
  
She hopped across the bridges, moving from island to island. Whenever she approached, the frightened Deku Scrub would run and hide in a house. She finally made it to the palace. All of the courtiers had gone back inside. The only ones left were the monkey, Deku squeak squeak burp squeak burp heeeep and the new Deku Queen. Saria looked at the three. The three looked at her. Finally, the queen stepped forward, her long leaves/hair rustling. She looked at Saria, noticing her fairy. Finally, she made the first move. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Saria."  
  
The queen pointed towards Patch. "Who's that?"  
  
"I'm Patch, Saria's fairy."  
  
The queen looked at the two of them and finally asked, "Do you know what's going on?"  
  
Saria sagged. "We were hoping the Deku king would know."  
  
The Queen snorted. "My father? He's an imbecile. Trust me, you wouldn't want to talk to him."  
  
"Well, who are you all?" asked Patch.  
  
The monkey chittered. "I'm Oop."  
  
The male scrub spoke up. "I'm Deku squeak squeak burp squeak burp heeeep, but you can just call me Deku since I doubt you can make those noises."  
  
"And I am the new queen of the Deku Kingdom. My father just stepped down." Explained the queen.  
  
"Well, I'm the leader of the Kokiri, a race of immortal children. We live in the forest and cannot leave, or else we die. Patch is a fairy."  
  
"We know what fairies are." Said Deku.  
  
"Well, I was wondering if it would be possible for a human to live in your palace?"  
  
"Why?" asked the queen.  
  
"Well, your palace is sort of on top of my friend Link's tree house and"  
  
"LINK?" asked all three.  
  
"Yes, Link. I"  
  
"You're a friend of Link's?" asked Oop.  
  
"Yes. I'm his best friend. How do you know him? No, wait, don't tell me, I think I understand what's going on here. Are you three from Termina?" They nodded. "That confirms it. You three, in fact, pretty much this entire village, have somehow been transported here from your home dimension. You're now in the land of Hyrule. It looks like our two lands have somehow become one. I don't know how to fix this, if it can be fixed. You might be living here from now on."  
  
The three thought about this. "Well, if everyone from Terminan swamp is here, that means I'm still a queen of the Deku Kingdom. I guess we'll just have to coexist somehow." Said the Queen.  
  
A blue portal opened up next to Saria. "Uh oh, my boss is calling. I'll have to continue this talk later." She walked into the portal.  
  
"No wait! Let me come!" shrieked the queen, jumping into the portal.  
  
"No, don't!" yelled Deku. It was too late. The portal closed behind them. He sighed. "How are we going to explain this to her father?"  
  
"Let's not." Said Oop.  
  
"Good idea."  
  
Darmani and Darunia stared at each other. It was like looking into a mirror. Direa, Direna, Little Link, Little Darmani, basically everyone in Goron City was having the same reaction. The city was now several levels deeper, with a chandelier attached to the bottom of the platform where the Gorons Ruby was kept. There was also a large Goron face carved from the wall and the cave roof had windows. Everyone was staring at each other, not sure what was going on. Finally, Darunia and Darmani broke the ice. "Who are you?" they asked at the same time.  
  
Darunia started. "I am Darunia, Sage of Fire and Big Brother of the Gorons of Hyrule."  
  
"I'm Darmani the Third, Hero and Elder of the Gorons of Termina."  
  
"You look just like me, but with a shorter beard."  
  
"You look just like me, but with a longer beard."  
  
They looked at each other for a few more minutes, then burst into laughter. At that, the Gorons decided they could relax and get acquainted with the parallels of themselves. Direna and Direa went to talk about fashion, while Little Link and Darmani decided to go play somewhere. The two mighty leaders went to Darunia's throne room to chat.  
  
"So you're from a place called Termina?" asked Darunia.  
  
"Yeah, I don't think I'm in it now, right?"  
  
"Right. This is the land of Hyrule."  
  
"Ohhh! This is Link's home dimension!"  
  
"You know Link?"  
  
"Know him! The little guy saved my world! He turned me into a mask at one point so he could become me (I was dead at this point and he turned my ghost into the mask) and when he was finished, he was able to restore me to life."  
  
"Doesn't surprise me one bit that Link saved another world. He's the Hero of Time, you know.'  
  
"Yeah, I know. What's your relation to him?"  
  
"He's my brother."  
  
Darmani was confused. "But he's a human."  
  
"I didn't clarify. He's my SWORN brother."  
  
"Ahhhh."  
  
They both took a sip of lava juice from the pitchers Direna had left lying around. A blue portal appeared in the ground between them. "Uh oh, the boss is calling. I gotta go." Darunia walked into the portal.  
  
"Hey wait, I'm coming!" said Darmani, hopping in after Darunia.  
  
Ruto and Tito stared. A large clamshell had appeared in the middle of Zora's domain. Several new rooms had appeared in the rock as parts of Zora Hall. In the clamshell were several Zoras. One of them looked strangely like her father, but shorter and thinner. Two more looked just like her and Tito, but ten years older. There were also seven children, and quite a few large boxes. Everyone was staring at the clamshell, except for the Zoras in the shell, who looked even more confused. Toto broke the ice. "What just happened?" The rest of the Indigo-go's and the stage crew were wondering the same thing. They looked in amazement at the Domain, which was not like the Hall. They were all speechless, even Evans.  
  
"What's going on here?" All the Domain Zoras turned surprised to see King Zora himself! Ruto was even more surprised to discover that he could walk even with all that blubber. "What is that shell doing there? And who is that handsome-looking Zora?" he asked, indicating Toto. Toto immediately realized that this was obviously the leader around here.  
  
He turned to the band and stage crew. "I'll handle this. You bunch go get yourself acquainted with the locals. If they've never heard of us, we could make plenty of cash." He jumped in the water, swam over to the King, and got out. "Your majesty, I am Toto, manager of the Indigo-go's."  
  
"The who?"  
  
"You've never heard of us? Well, why don't we just find someplace quiet and we can talk all about it..." they walked off for King Zora's throne room. The band and crew were getting acquainted with the natives, as per Toto's instructions. The children went off to play with Zoras their own age. Lulu and Mikau made a beeline for Ruto and Tito.  
  
The four stared at each other for a while, before asking, "Who are you?" at the same time.  
  
"I'm Mikau."  
  
"I'm Lulu."  
  
"I'm Tito."  
  
"I'm Ruto.  
  
They stared at each other for a few more minutes. Mikau turned to Lulu. "Honey, I think I should talk to this Tito guy, okay?" She nodded. The two males walked off.  
  
The girls stared at each other again. "Why do you look like me but older?" asked Ruto.  
  
"Why do you look like me but younger?" asked Lulu.  
  
Ruto decided to try again. "I'm Ruto, Sage of Water and Princess of the Zoras."  
  
"I'm Lulu, the lead singer in the hit band, the Indigo-go's. Have you heard of us?"  
  
"Never."  
  
"Well, that's a clue that something is wrong, since we're pretty much famous worldwide."  
  
"Well, I've never heard of any band called the Indigo-go's in Hyrule or anywhere else in Garaton."  
  
Lulu frowned. "What's Garaton?"  
  
"The name of this planet."  
  
"But this planet is called Arave."  
  
"No, its called Garaton. That's the way it's always been."  
  
Lulu's eyes widened. "But that means this isn't my planet!"  
  
"It's not?"  
  
"No, I come from a world called Arave, a country called Termina. But this is not that place. You've never heard of Termina, have you?"  
  
"Never."  
  
"That proves it. Something must have pulled us from my world, maybe even my dimension to yours, and brought along all our stuff. This can't be good." She suddenly brightened. "Then again, if this is a new world of people who've never heard of us, that means we'll have a brand new market to cater our music to! Toto will be very pleased."  
  
"Hey, I just thought of something, when did you marry Mikau?"  
  
"Eleven years ago. Why?"  
  
"Nothing. I'm kind of hoping to marry Tito, the guy who looks like your husband."  
  
"I wonder-is he good at the guitar?"  
  
"Pretty good, yes."  
  
"I think you'll do fine." Lulu said, smiling.  
  
A blue portal opened underwater. "Oh dear," said Ruto. "I have something urgent to attend to!" She jumped into the water and swam for the portal. Lulu wasn't sure why, but she jumped after Ruto, swimming through just before it closed.  
  
"What the heck's going on?" exclaimed Malon, looking around the ranch. The big outer wall was gone, there was a new barn, and the farmhouse was larger! There was a doggie racing track and a huge cucco pen as well. Her confusion was further added to when she saw what looked like her coming out of the second barn. She looked equally surprised. She yelled back into the barn, and another woman came out. Malon blinked. The second woman looked like her as well, but ten years older! She ran over to the two women. They noticed her and gaped, unbelieving. As Malon got closer, she saw even more so that the women looked like her. She was finally in front of them. The three girls looked at each other. Malon made the first move. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Romani." Said the girl her age.  
  
"I'm her older sister, Cremia." Said the older women. `What's going on here? You look just like Romani! And what's happened to the ranch? Why is there a corral of horses? Why is the farmhouse bigger? What's going on?"  
  
Malon shook her head. "I have no idea."  
  
Romani spoke up. "Hey Malon, are you any good at archery?"  
  
Grog looked around himself in confusion. The ranch had gotten bigger! There were more Cuccos in his pen! The walls were gone and replaced with a low fence. He could see Mamamu Yan's similar confusion at the dog track. What was going on?  
  
Ingo walked out of the stable and looked around in shock. The ranch had gotten bigger! He had just been inside the stable for a minute, hadn't he? How had the ranch gotten so big? He stumbled around in confusion until he bumped into two familiar-looking men. "Hey, watch where you're going!" they all said. Then they really noticed each other. "Gorman?" asked the two guys who looked just like Ingo.  
  
"Ingo? Ingo?" asked Ingo, looking at the guys who looked just like his two brothers.  
  
The first Gorman frowned. "Hey, you're not Gorman!"  
  
"And you're not Ingo and Ingo!" said Ingo. They frowned at each other. Ingo looked thoughtful. "You know, you two look just like my older and younger brothers, Ingo and Ingo, who went into the circus business!"  
  
"Really?" said the older Gorman. "Our middle brother Gorman went into show business too! We decided to stay behind and maintain Gorman Track."  
  
"Really? That's the decision I made too! Well, not exactly, but close to that!" They walked off, finding some common ground to talk about.  
  
Yawning, Talon walked out of the farmhouses, very tired. He had only gotten twenty hours of sleep! He had been woken up by something, but he wasn't sure what. He headed towards the barn across the corral, struggling to stay awake. Why did Malon put the coffee machine in the barn? Thought Talon. He stumbled past Ingo and the Gormans, who were chattering eagerly. "Morning Ingo. Morning Ingo. Morning Ingo." He yawned as he stumbled past them.  
  
The three look-likes stared after him. "But its past noon!" shouted the younger Gorman.  
  
Ingo snorted. "That's nothing! Some days he sleeps twenty-four hours straight! He's the laziest man alive."  
  
Talon finally made it to the barn, almost tripping over his feet several times. He made it to the barn, passing Malon, Romani, and Cremia. Malon and Romani were trying to shoot different targets with their bows. Cremia was judging. "Hello Malon. Hello Malon. Hello Malon sr." He continued into the barn.  
  
"Was that Mr. Barten?" asked Cremia.  
  
"No, that was my dad, Talon, the laziest man alive."  
  
"Why did he call me Malon and Cremia Malon sr.?" asked Romani.  
  
"He's very tired. He only got twenty hours of sleep last night. He must think you're me and your sister is my mother." Talon stumbled past the cows, finally making it to the coffee machine. He poured himself a cup o' joe, and pondered over what he had seen this morning. He spurted out the coffee, and ran outside, taking in the larger ranch and the three girls. "Dad, what's wrong?" asked Malon. Talon looked around wildly then fell unconscious from the shock. A minute later he started snoring.  
  
Nabooru walked up to the podium on the main plaza of the fortress, ready to accept her prize. Once again, she had won the Championship, but it had been a little too close this year. Aveil had almost beaten her in one-on-one combat. Oh well. As she grabbed the golden belt and held it over her head, the other thieves cheered. That's when everything changed. Suddenly, the valley was a lot wider, and there was now a castle intersecting the fortress! There was a house that looked like a big music box where the podium with the belt had been, and there were now several stone huts and a well lying about. To make things worse, a huge group of undead, many with armor, fell to the ground screaming. The Gerudo instinctively pulled out their scimitars. The undead groaned and got up, looking about them confused. A second ago, they had been falling towards space and now they were on the ground, in a place that looked like Ikana Canyon. Igos and Garo master faced off, not quite noticing  
their surroundings. Igos glared at his nemesis. "I don't know where we are, but I know we are all still alive, figuratively speaking. I will make sure you die, and stay dead!"  
  
They drew their weapons. And then they noticed the dozens of armed, extremely attractive gerudo surrounding them. "Maybe we are dead, and this is heaven." Said Garo Master.  
  
"If this were heaven, wouldn't we have flesh?"  
  
"Point."  
  
Nabooru stepped through the circle of Gerudo. "Who are you, how did you get here, and when are you going to leave?"  
  
"Why don't you handle this, Igos?" said Garo Master, shoving Igos forward. He stepped back. "Yes, handle it while I make my escape!" he said, throwing a Deku Nut to the ground. When the smoke cleared, he had vanished.  
  
Igos roared in anger, ripping off his helmet and throwing it to the ground. The other undead gasped. Igos suddenly realized he had made a big mistake. He was now exposed to sunlight! He clenched his teeth, waiting for the pain, the burning of light. Nothing happened. He blinked. He was still alive, so to speak. He was immune to sunlight! The other undead followed suit, realizing they could now walk about in daylight. They cheered. The Gerudo weren't sure what was going on, but these zombies seemed to be harmless. A little later, Nabooru was trying to understand things from Igos. They were talking at the edge of the canyon that led into Lake Hylia. The undead were partying because of they're newfound immunity to sunlight and survival of near death. The Garos were joining in the festivities as well, for they felt their master had betrayed them. The other dead guys had no problem with that. "So, you are not sure how you got here?" she asked.  
  
Igos shook his head. "One minute we were rolling around in pain from some strange scream then falling to our deaths, next minute we are here." Igos had already told Nabooru his history, about the Garo Master's plot, and even mentioned Link, which surprised Nabooru a great deal. She had no idea that Link had been to this Termina place. Igos didn't seem to care that he could probably never get back to his own dimension. After all, his home had been brought with him, and he and his subjects were around women for the first time in two hundred years. Nabooru wondered if this would be a problem.  
  
"Do you think this Garo Master guy will be back?"  
  
Igos grimaced. "He'll be back. Mark my words, he'll be back."  
  
She patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. Next time he attacks will be the last time."  
  
Igos sighed. "Don't be so sure. He is a very formidable opponent."  
  
"He was beaten by a ten-year-old."  
  
Igos was adamant. "So was I!"  
  
"Doesn't say a lot about you, now does it?"  
  
"Link had a mirror! We were weak to sunlight back then! We would have beaten him if he didn't have the power of light."  
  
Nabooru decided not to push it. "Why don't we go and celebrate in the festivities your subjects are having?"  
  
He shrugged. They headed back towards the fortress when four figured floated in front of them. They were Poes. Igos looked worried. "It's the Poe sisters, Amy, Meg, Joel, and Beth. They are dangerous ghosts that rampaged through the village until I hired a ghost hunter to capture and contain them. But they must have gotten free somehow!"  
  
Nabooru drew her swords. "Don't worry, we can stop them."  
  
"Actually, we can't." said Igos as the Poes surrounded them, each making three illusions. The ghosts, real and fake, circled them.  
  
"Which of the ghosts are real?" asked Nabooru.  
  
"I have no idea."  
  
The Poes prepared to close in when they heard a voice that caused them to stop. "Ghostly sisters, I command you to stop!"  
  
The illusions faded, revealing the real ghosts, who had turned to face the speaker, a man in a purple cloak, wielding a scythe. His face could not be seen, but he had one glowing red eye, easily visible. Igos was relieved. "It's Poehunter. We're safe now."  
  
"Oh," said Nabooru, disappointed. She had kind of been hoping to fight the Poes herself.  
  
The sisters giggled. "Oh Poehunter, do you really think you can stop us this time?" asked Joel.  
  
Poehunter glared at the four with his unblinking, one-eyed gaze. "I can and I will."  
  
"Let's see you stop this!" shrieked Amy.  
  
The four surrounded Poehunter, spinning around him, making their illusory Poes. As they twirled, the real and fake ghosts cackled. "You'll never figure out which four of us are real!" said all the Beths. Poehunter lifted his scythe and hurled it at the ghosts. It struck one of the Megs. She shrieked, and flew from the circle. The illusions faded and the real ghosts followed after Meg. The scythe flew back to Poehunter like a boomerang. The ghosts were astonished.  
  
"How did you know which one was the real me?" asked Meg.  
  
Poehunter chuckled. Quite simply, I noticed that only one of each of the illusions spun as they appeared. I knew the spinning ones were the real ghosts, so I merely attacked the only Meg that had spun."  
  
The sisters were furious. "We have a new trick that you'll never be able to beat!" said Joel angrily. The ghosts spun together and formed a single monster, a Giant Poe! Poehunter was a little surprised. The Giant Poe cackled. "You can't defeat me now! I can easily deflect your scythe!"  
  
Poehunter chuckled. "Did you really think I would be stupid enough o come unprepared, Poe?" He pulled an ornate bottle from his cloak. Opening it, he chanted: "Larry, Curly, Joe, and Moe, I summon thee forth, the Four Brothers Poe!" Four spirit flames popped out of the bottle. They hovered in the air as lanterns formed around them. Holding the lanterns were four male Poes.  
  
"You summoned us, master?" asked the Poes in unison.  
  
Poehunter pointed to the Giant Poe. "Distract her."  
  
"Yes, master!" The Poes formed their own illusions and spun around the Giant. She tried to spin her way through, but the brothers kept circling her. She tried to swipe at them with her lantern, but kept hitting illusions. While she was distracted, Poehunter hurled his scythe, stunning the giant. While she was stunned, the four brothers held her in place. She struggled, trying to break free, but the brothers were too strong. Poehunter hurled his scythe once more, slicing the Giant Poe back into the four sisters, still held by the brothers.  
  
"Hold them carefully!" The brothers floated closer to their master, dragging the shrieking girls. Poehunter pulled out another ornate bottle and aimed it carefully at Meg. She screamed, turned transparent, and was sucked into the bottle. He repeated the process with Amy, Beth, and Joel before plugging it up. He placed the bottle the brothers had come from back on the ground. "Brothers Poe, your work is done, return to the bottle, of complaints I have none." The brothers turned back into spirit flames and went back into the bottle. He corked it up and placed it back on his utility belt. Nabooru and the king were impressed.  
  
"Remind me to give you a raise." Said Igos.  
  
"That was the most amazing feat of ghost capture I've ever seen." Said Nabooru.  
  
Poehunter bowed. "It was an honor to rescue a woman as pretty as yourself." Nabooru blushed. Poehunter continued. "I was wondering if..."  
  
The opening of a blue portal by a boulder interrupted him. "I've gotta go." Said Nabooru. "We'll finish this discussion later." She ran towards the portal.  
  
"Wait!" yelled Poehunter, running after her. "I was just wondering if" He was too late. She had vanished into the portal. Poehunter sighed and jumped in after her. The portal closed, leaving Igos alone. After staring at the boulder for a few minutes, he decided it would be a good idea to join the party back at the fortress/castle.  
  
Gabora looked around the smithy. He felt something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what. Everything was in its proper place. So why did he feel like something was wrong. He sniffed the air, suddenly realizing the problem. He could smell no fragrant flowers. It was springtime in Mountain Village, so there should be a scent of flowers in the air. Instead, all he could smell was a scent much like his old home in Clock Town, before the divorce...except that he could swear he smelled something else. He turned to his friend, the ogre Gubora. "Hey Gubora, does anything smell funny to you?"  
  
"Ugoh! Ugo ugoh oh ugo ugo oh-oh!"  
  
"Cuccos? Yeah, that's what I thought. Something's wrong. Let's check outside."  
  
"Ugo." They walked outside, and saw why everything smelled different. They weren't exactly in the Mountain Village anymore. They were in the middle of Kakariko Village. Everyone stared at Gubora, for they had never seen an ogre before. Of course, they were more startled by the appearance of the smithy than anything else. There was also the fact that the Observatory was now perched on top of Impa's house. "Ugoh ugoh ugo ugoh ugo ugoh ugo ugo oh oh-oh?"  
  
"I...I have no idea, buddy. I have no idea." Gabora suddenly spotted an old man in the crowd. It was his old teacher, Professor Shigashi. "Professor Shigashi! What's going on?"  
  
The old man looked confused. "I-I'm sorry, do I know you?"  
  
"It's me, Gabora! You know, the kid who always fiddled with metal things in class? Don't you remember me, Professor Shigashi?"  
  
The old man was bewildered. "I am sorry, but I have no idea who you are. And my name is Professor Higashi, not Shigashi."  
  
"He's right, Gabora. I am Professor Shigashi." Gabora turned around to see the professor. But if that was the professor, then who was the guy he was just talking to? Gabora looked at Professor Higashi. Then he looked at Professor Shigashi. He could not tell the two apart! Neither could the crowd, either. Everyone was confused.  
  
"Ugo-oh ugoh-o o-ugo o o?" said Gubora confused.  
  
"What's going on here?" asked a stern female voice. The villagers were relieved, knowing they could go back to their regular business. Impa was here! She would deal with the problem, whatever it was. The crowd disbanded, leaving only Professor Shigashi, Gabora, Gubora, and the approaching Impa. She was surprised when she saw the ogre and the smithy. "Who are you three? What are you doing here? How did that smithy get there?"  
  
Before Gabora or Gubora could say anything, the professor interrupted. "We are from another dimension."  
  
"You are?"  
  
"We are?"  
  
"Ugo?"  
  
"Yes, we are. I will be able to explain it better if you will follow me to my Observatory."  
  
He started heading over to Impa's House/Astral Observatory. Impa looked in the direction he was going and saw the building her home had become. "My house!" she moaned.  
  
Inside the house, everything was the same, except that there was now a ladder leading from the loft with Impa's bed going into the ceiling. The professor led them up the ladder and into the observatory. Impa was astonished by the colors that made up the observatory. He led them up the stairs from his room and workshop, up to the telescope chamber. Gabora and Gubora marveled openly at the observatory, while Impa kept her comments to herself. There was a door that led to a ledge running along the outside of the observatory, from which one could see all of Kakariko. In the middle of the room was the display case with the prized Moon's Tear, and the giant telescope. The professor turned to Gabora. "Gabora, would you please take a look through my telescope?" Gabora shrugged and looked through the telescope. He could see Kakariko Village. "Aim as high as you can." Gabora tilted the telescope almost straight upwards.  
  
"Now what?" he asked.  
  
"Turn the zoom up to maximum."  
  
Gabora zoomed, and saw the stars. The zoom had allowed him to see past the clouds. "I just see stars, professor."  
  
"Turn it a little to the left."  
  
Gabora did so, and gasped. "No...no, it can't be..."  
  
"But it is, isn't it?" said Shigashi.  
  
"Ugo-ugo-ugo ugoh oh ugoh-oh?"  
  
Gabora took his eye from the telescope. "It's the moon, Gubora. The moon." Gubora moaned.  
  
Impa was confused. "Yes, it is the moon. So what?"  
  
Professor Shigashi answered. "In our home dimension, there is no moon. It was destroyed by a young man named Link ten years ago in an attempt to save our world from destruction. When I saw the moon through my telescope, I realized I was in another dimension."  
  
Impa frowned. "Powerful magic is at work here. I must consult with my colleagues. Since you will all be here for a while, I suggest you make yourselves at home." She left the building, heading for the graveyard.  
  
When she got there, Dampe` greeted her. "Mistress, a portal has opened for you."  
  
Impa nodded. "Thank you Dampe`. Where is it?"  
  
"Right over there." He said, pointing to the portal that had opened up two feet away.  
  
Impa hopped into the portal, which closed behind her.  
  
Link, Sheik, Skull Kid, and the fairies looked around in confusion at what the Town had become. They stared at the new shops, the buildings, and the extra people. Everyone in town was just as confused to be seeing their own doubles. "What happened?" asked Sheik.  
  
"I think I might have an idea." Said Link, as the postman from Clock Town ran by. "These are all people from Termina!"  
  
"You mean the place with that moon?"  
  
"Yes, that place."  
  
Skull Kid gulped. "I hope none of them recognizes me."  
  
"Don't worry, you were masked at the time." Said Tael.  
  
Sheik looked worried. "Link, these new people are all from Termina?"  
  
"Yes, and all these new buildings as well. Something must have caused them to come here."  
  
"But what?" asked Tatl.  
  
"And who?" asked Navi.  
  
"Kaepora was about to tell us before he blacked out. Link examined the owl. That crash must have really hurt."  
  
"I can fix that," said Skull Kid. He pulled out his bottle of pink fairy dust. "Link, please open the bird's beak. Link did so. Skull Kid force-fed the dust down Kaepora's craw. His wounds healed, but he was still in a coma. "Well, at least he's not injured."  
  
"Let's get back to the castle, we might be able to deal with this better from there." Said Sheik. They ran back through town, passing all the confused people. Link spotted the Stock Pot Inn. He was tempted to go in, but decided not to. As they reached the exit to the castle, Navi stopped them.  
  
"Look at the Temple of Time!" she said. Everyone turned to see the temple, and were amazed once again.  
  
The Clock Tower had become the back of the Temple, merging with the Master Sword chamber. "Wow." Said Sheik. "That's the Clock Tower you told me about?" Link nodded. "Well, let's get to the castle."  
  
"No time for that, there's this portal thing opening up near the temple." Said Tatl.  
  
"Where?" asked Link.  
  
"Right in front." They ran over and found there was indeed a portal.  
  
Sheik turned to Link. "Link, this is probably for us. We should go in."  
  
"Of course! But, aren't you going to change back first?" Sheik blinked, realizing she had forgotten.  
  
"Give me a minute." She and Tatl ran into the Temple. She came out a moment later as Zelda. "Right, let's go." She and Tatl hopped into the portal. Link jumped after her with Navi.  
  
"Hey, wait!" said Tael. "Skull Kid, should we go with them?"  
  
"Why not?" said Skull Kid. They jumped into the portal just as it closed.  
  
What will happen next? Why have the Sages been called to the Sacred Realm? Find out next time! And remember, R&R! 


	5. Battle

Once again, it's me, pi2. I'm starting to get frustrated with my lack of readers. Why don't you read my story? It's good, really! Sniff sniff. Oh well. By the way, I would like to add that while Majora is weak to light magic, he is immune to actual sunlight, since it is not magical. Fairy light hurts him since fairies are mostly comprised of magic.  
  
Disclaimer: Do I really need to say this again?  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Rauru waited patiently on his platform in the Chamber of Sages. He had summoned the Sages, they would be there. He sensed the travelers' incoming. Then he frowned. What's this? Several of them seemed to have brought someone else with them! This couldn't be tolerated. They didn't belong here! He sighed to himself. He would handle it as soon as they got there. They arrived. Saria and her fairy Patch appeared on the Forest platform followed by the Deku Queen. Darunia appeared on the Fire platform, followed by Darmani. Ruto appeared on the Water platform, followed by Lulu. Nabooru appeared on the Spirit platform, followed by Poehunter. Impa appeared, alone. As Rauru had hoped, Link and Navi appeared on the Courage part of the Triforce platform in the center of the chamber. He was relieved as well when Zelda appeared on the Wisdom portion, though he was a bit surprised that she had a fairy with her. He was most surprised when Skull Kid and Tael appeared on the Power portion. All  
of the newcomers stared around in disbelief and awe at the chamber. The Sages were not happy that they had hitched a ride. Before any words could be dealt, Rauru quickly teleported the Queen, Darmani, Lulu, and Poehunter back to wherever they had come from. He was surprised when he found that Skull Kid wouldn't teleport. How odd. With the distractions gone (except for Skull Kid, who decided to keep his mouth shut) Rauru was able to start the council. He coughed to get their attention. "My fellow Sages, we have an emergency on our hands, but of course you knew that. But do any of you know what has caused the emergency?" Everyone shook his or her heads. "I have a hint. Half an hour ago, I sensed a powerful spell being cast from the direction of the moon. It was of an interdimensional nature, and has ripped the land of Termina from the face of its planet and dimension, and transplanted it onto our own. I have no idea who has done this or why, but I know it could be something  
dangerous. We must keep our eyes open. Do any of you have any clues?" Saria and Skull Kid raised their hands. Rauru frowned at the imp. "Who are you, anyway?"  
  
Skull Kid coughed. "My name is Skull Kid. I'm an imp from the forest. I have an idea about what's causing this. Not much, but a little."  
  
Rauru and the other Sages were interested. "Tell us, what do you know?"  
  
"When the spell in question was being cast, all the fairies and myself heard a faint scream. We're not sure why, but it caused us all excruciating pain. It had no effect on the humans."  
  
Rauru thought. "Did any of you hear this scream?" he asked the Sages. All of them shook their heads, except Saria.  
  
"I heard it! All of us Kokiri, our fairies, even the Tree were affected by the scream."  
  
"I have another clue!" said Skull Kid. "A giant talking owl crashed into our restaurant and talked to Link about this! Since I was rolling around in pain, I can't remember it too well. Link, what happened with that owl?"  
  
Link shrugged and spoke. "Well, he was my old friend, Kaepora Gaebora..."  
  
"Did you say Kaepora Gaebora?" exclaimed Rauru.  
  
"Yes. Why?"  
"That's my father's name!"  
"You have a father?" said Nabooru, surprised.  
  
"Of course I had a father! What, did you all think that I was just created like this?" They said nothing, looking down. Rauru grumbled. "Continue."  
  
"Kaepora said that two evils were behind this, but he went into a coma before he could tell us who they were."  
  
"Oh, well. At least we have a clue or two, sort of. Let's hear the damage reports." Everyone groaned. Rauru ignored them. "Saria! How are things in the forest?"  
  
Several hours later... Link and co. reappeared outside the Temple of Time, exhausted. The sun had just set. "Ugh!" said Navi. "That was one looooooooooooong meeting!"  
  
Link groaned. "I was starting to fall asleep when Rauru started blathering about the whole time-space continuum thingy being messed up. I have no capacity for quantum physics."  
  
Zelda nodded. "I know I'm supposed to be the leader of the Sages and everything, but I never want to go to another meeting like that again! Rauru dominated the entire conversation."  
  
"Hey Zelda, if you're leader of the Sages, why don't you just ban meetings that last longer then two hours? Or when you do have meetings, cut them off at that point. It'll make everyone except Rauru happier." Suggested Tatl.  
  
Zelda cheered up. "That's an excellent idea Tatl! I think I'll bring it up at the next meeting. I'm sure we'll get a majority vote to pass the ban."  
  
Skull Kid rubbed his legs. "I had to stand up the entire time! If I sat down, Rauru would have yelled at me. I don't think I can walk for a while."  
  
Link leaned down and picked Skull Kid up, placing him on his shoulders. "That better?"  
  
"Much. I'll try not to choke you or anything, okay?"  
  
They walked back to town. Just before they headed into the marketplace, Zelda decided it would be better if she stay as Sheik until they got back to the Castle. After transforming, she led the group through the less crowded marketplace. In the last six hours, everyone seemed to have settled down and were successfully trying to deal with the whole situation. As they reached the castle's first gate, Link saw a familiar purple-haired man arguing with the guard. "Look, I really have to get inside the castle! I need to speak to whoever's in charge!"  
  
The guard didn't budge. "You can't get in without a written invitation from Princess Zelda."  
  
"But I'm Dotour, the mayor of Clock Town! I have VIP credentials!" said Dotour, showing his credentials.  
  
"They look pretty fake to me. I've never heard of this Clock Town. There are more important things for me to deal with right now, such as guarding this gate from trespassers."  
  
"But"  
  
"Leave now or I will have to forcibly escort you off the premises." Dotour sagged and started heading back to town.  
  
Link walked up to the guard and flashed his pass. "It's okay, Pierre, he's with me." The guard reluctantly opened the gate, allowing the foursome to pass through.  
  
Dotour thanked Link profusely. "Thank you, mister...what is your name?"  
  
"I'm Link."  
  
Dotour gasped. "Link? The one who saved us from the moon ten years ago? The one who rescued me from a looooooooong meeting? The one that brought happiness to my son and made me a grandfather?"  
  
"Yes. I am the one and the same."  
  
Dotour said nothing for the rest of the journey to the castle, he just kept gaping at Link. They made it inside the castle. "Link, I think my legs have recovered. You can put me down now."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Not completely, but I don't want to inconvenience you or anything."  
  
Link bent over, allowing Skull Kid to get off. He seemed a bit wobbly, but he could walk. As they reached the throne room, Sheik stopped them. "Wait here. I'll go get Zelda. Come into the throne room in five minutes." She went inside, followed by Tatl.  
  
Dotour finally decided to talk to Link. "Link, why didn't you tell us you were from another dimension?"  
  
"You wouldn't have believed me."  
  
"True. That fairy on shoulder doesn't look like the fairy you had when I met you."  
  
"She's not. This is my real fairy, Navi. Tatl was sort of a temporary replacement. It's a long story." Dotour nodded. They waited. "So, how are Anju and Kafei doing?"  
  
"They're doing fine. Kafei is helping run the inn since he's not interested in being my successor. Perhaps my grandchild will be. Ah well. In any case, my grandson is named Tortus, after Anju's mother. He has his mother's eyes, and his father's hair."  
  
Link nodded. Finally, the five minutes were up and they went inside the throne room. Zelda was sitting on the throne. "Link, I suggest you go explore the castle while I'm talking with Mr. Dotour. This could take a while. Go eat dinner or something." Link and Skull Kid nodded and left. "Now, Mayor Dotour, what is your business?" Link and Skull Kid walked about, the castle, looking in the rooms, admiring the priceless works of art and stuff. They worked their way to the dining room, ate dinner, and went back to exploring. Eventually, Zelda found them and told them that they should stay the night. She had made the Mayor feel a little better, and they could escort him back to town in the morning. He showed them to the guestrooms. Zelda left them there, Tatl still following her.  
  
Skull Kid frowned. "You know, Tael, I get the feeling Tatl's taken a liking to Zelda."  
  
"Yeah, I hope that isn't a problem when we have to leave tomorrow." Said Tael.  
  
"Link, what do you think? Link?" Skull Kid turned to see Link and Navi were testing out the beds.  
  
"These are incredibly soft and comfortable!" said Link.  
  
"Yeah, they're almost as good as the beds back in Mesmoria were." Said Navi wistfully.  
  
All over the land, the people were getting organized and going to bed, deciding they would try to sort things out a little more in the morning. One by one, everyone in Hyrule fell asleep. However, two villains were still awake. On the moon, Ganondorf and Majora kept their vigil as the time passed. The silence on the moon was utter and complete, except for the occasional conversation. "Is it time yet?" asked Ganondorf.  
  
"For the one thousandth time, Ganondorf, not yet! We do not strike until midnight!"  
  
"But why can't we do it now? Everyone's asleep! In fact, why are we even waiting until midnight to attack in the first place?"  
  
"I already told you, for a more dramatic entrance! If we show up in the middle of the night, it will frighten the people more, allowing me to feed on their fear, strengthening myself."  
  
"Wouldn't we be just as frightening in broad daylight?"  
  
"Many people are afraid of the dark. If we attack at the darkest time of the night, people's fears will be amplified because of panic. They will not be able to properly see what is going on, and will be very afraid."  
  
"But I thought we were going to burn buildings down! Won't that allow them to see what's going on?"  
  
"A fire at night is more frightening because it only illuminates certain areas. People will be able to see a little better, but not much."  
  
"But"  
  
"If you ask me if it's time yet or complain about this waiting once more, I shall revoke your status as second-in-command and eat you alive." Ganondorf clammed up. They waited, staring up at the planet high above. Finally, Majora stood up.  
  
"What is it?" Asked Ganondorf.  
  
"It's time."  
  
Link rolled over in bed, grinning. He was having a very interesting dream. Of course, if I told you about it, I might have to change the rating on this fic. Link frowned. Odd. All of the screaming and explosions and malevolent booming laughter were ruining his dream. Wait a minute. Screaming and explosions and malevolent booming laughter? He woke up, to find that the screaming and explosions and malevolent booming laughter were real. He bolted out of bed, disturbing Navi. "Huh? Link, what's wrong? It's the middle of the night! Hey wait, what's that racket?"  
  
Link changed into his Kokiri Tunic, equipping his various weapons as well. "Navi, I think something is happening in town. We have to go check it out."  
  
"I'm coming." Said Skull Kid. Link turned in surprise. Skull Kid was already dressed in his normal clothes, with Tael resting on his hat. "I'm a light sleeper." He said, explaining why he was awake.  
  
Link nodded. "Let's go." They ran through the castle for the front gate. Zelda was already there as Sheik with Tatl. "I guess you're coming too?" She nodded. "Then let's hurry!"  
  
The six of them ran out. They could clearly see the town was on fire. They could hear a malevolent booming laughter over it all. For Link, Sheik, and Navi, it sounded strangely familiar. Sheik stopped. "Skull Kid, are you any good at fighting?"  
  
Skull Kid pulled out the dagger his mother had given him at his creation. "This dagger magically endows me with the prowess to use it properly, so yes."  
  
"Good. I think you'll need it."  
  
"Hey! I think we have some more important things to deal with here!" said Tatl. Back on track, they ran into town. Most of the screaming had stopped, as many people had either successfully evacuated or were dead.  
  
The laughter could still be heard. "All right," said Link. "I'll hit whatever's doing this head on. Sheik, you hit him from behind if you can. Skull Kid, if it looks like we need help, do what you can." They continued, running for the source of the laughter. They found it. In the marketplace, they found a being floating high in the air, cackling. Its back was turned to them. Laughing, the figure prepared to hurl a thunderbolt at the Stock Pot Inn. Link whipped out a Light Arrow and shot at the figure. The figure screamed and turned around. Sheik, Navi, and Link gasped. "Oh no..."  
  
"It can't be..." said Sheik.  
  
"We locked him away in Hell..." said Navi.  
  
"What? Who is it?" asked Tael.  
  
"Who am I?" said the figure. "I AM GANONDORF! I have returned to take my revenge on those who imprisoned me in the first place!" he said, glaring at Link and Navi. "And I have no idea who you other people are, but since you're obviously Link's friends, I'll just kill you."  
  
"I'm actually Princess Zelda in disguise." Said Sheik.  
  
"You are?" said Ganondorf. "Then how come you don't have any"  
  
"Enough about that!" snapped Sheik.  
  
"Whatever. In that case, I'll have my revenge against you as well. I can't kill you though."  
  
"What? You're not going to kill us?" asked Link.  
  
"No, I'm not. Somebody else will have that happy privilege, unfortunately. Now, taste electric doom!" he said, hurling a thunderbolt at Link. Link slashed at it with his sword, expecting it to be deflected just like it had been in the battle in that erased timeline. Instead, the contact of the metal with the thunderbolt electrocuted him.  
  
"Ahhhh! What the hell? It worked last time..." he moaned as he struggled to get back up.  
  
"That's because you had the Master Sword last time. Now, your sword isn't even remotely sacred. Even the Kokiri Sword would probably work better on him than that normal sword." Said Navi.  
  
Ganondorf cackled. "The pipsqueak's right! That sword won't work on me! Wait, we've never fought before. What is that bug talking about?"  
  
"Nothing you would understand. But let's see how you like another taste of Light Arrow!" Link shot another Light Arrow at Ganondorf, who was too surprised to block.  
  
"Arrrgh! What is that thing? Oh well, I bet you can't hit me with another one!" Link did. "Arrrgh! Why does it hurt so much? It's just a stupid arrow! All right hero, I dare you to do that one more time!" Link did. "Arrrgh! You'd better not do that again! Arrrgh! Stop that! Arrrgh! I told you to...Arrrgh! Stop that! Arrrgh! For the...Arrrgh! Last time...Arrrgh! Stop that! Arrrgh! Arrrgh! Arrrgh! Arrrgh! Arrrgh! Arrrgh! Arrrgh! Arrrgh! Arrrgh!" The heroes couldn't help laughing. Ganondorf glared at them furiously. "You dare? Take this!" He hurled a large fireball at Skull Kid, who barely got out of the way in time. "Ha ha! Take some more of it!" Cackling, he hurled multiple fireballs at the group. Link and Sheik were able to shield themselves, but Skull Kid wasn't so lucky. He barely dodged the fireballs.  
  
"Hey! That wasn't very nice!" said Tael, flying into Ganondorf's face, jingling. Scowling, Ganondorf tried to swat Tael out of the way. While he was distracted, Link shot him with yet another Light Arrow. Ganondorf tried to charge up another fireball, but Tatl and Navi flew into his face, jingling like mad. With the three fairies preventing Ganondorf from attacking, Link was able to take easy potshots on him. Sheik joined in, hurling blasts of light. Not wanting to miss the fun, Skull Kid fired Deku seeds from his slingshot. Ganondorf screamed in pain and rage. He kept trying to swat the fairies away. Whenever he got a little too close, they gave him a shock. They were wearing Ganondorf down.  
  
Link grinned. "This is much easier than the first time."  
  
"Well, you didn't have three fairies helping you the first time." Said Sheik.  
  
"Yeah! Actually, I didn't have...oh no."  
  
"What?" asked Skull Kid.  
  
"The first time I battled Ganondorf, he used waves of darkness to prevent Navi from getting close. I hope he doesn't realize he can do that."  
  
"Let's keep hoping." Said Sheik, firing another blast of light.  
  
Unfortunately, that hope ran out. "ENOUGH!" roared Ganondorf, letting out a wave of darkness that knocked the fairies away. He was very angry. "I have been hit by 100 blasts of light in the last fifteen minutes, not to mention 50 seeds. I have had enough!" He hurled multiple thunderbolts and fireballs. Skull Kid, who saw it coming, was able to shield himself by jumping behind a cart. Sheik and Link shielded themselves like they had before. When Ganondorf's assault was over, he grinned evilly, a crazy gleam in his eye. "You may have survived my attack, but you'll never survive his!"  
  
The six stared at him blankly. "Who's he talking about?" asked Sheik.  
  
"Kaepora said two evils were behind this merge. Ganondorf must be one of them!" said Link.  
  
"Then who's the other one?" asked Skull Kid.  
  
"Why don't I introduce you to him?" asked Ganondorf. He raised his right hand, the Triforce of Power glowing brightly on it. It unleashed a tremendous flash of red light. When it faded, the group looked around.  
  
"Nothing's changed." Said Navi.  
  
"Yeah, where's your partner?" asked Tatl.  
  
"Maybe he ran away like a cowardly dog." Said Tael.  
  
Ganondorf chuckled. "I suggest you look up."  
  
They did. And gasped once more. Skull Kid fell to his knees. "No, no, not again!" he wailed. Tatl started crying. Tael was aghast. Link stood there solemnly, with a look of disbelief on his face. Navi and Sheik couldn't understand why the others were having such a bad reaction, although what was above them was very unsettling. It was the moon. And it had a grinning face.  
  
Ganondorf laughed again. "He will be here in moments. And when he does, this world is doomed."  
  
From the moon, a flaming object fell. It was too far away to be identified, but it was getting closer each second, moving thousands of miles per second. Skull Kid took a step back. And another. And another. He knew what was going to happen. He knew what the object was. He knew who it was. He knew Link had an idea of who it was, but couldn't believe it. Skull Kid could. And he was afraid. Skull Kid ran, looking for a building he could hide in until it was all over. He hid inside a house, and sat there, cowering, beneath a window. "Skull Kid, what are we doing?" asked Tael.  
  
"We're being cowards, Tael."  
  
The flaming object approached. It sped up tremendously, reaching the ground in seconds. As it got a mile away from the ground, it slowed down, still getting closer and closer. Finally, it stopped a mere two feet off the ground, still flaming. The flames subsided. The object dropped to the ground. It was twenty feet tall. It had two dinosaur legs, with nasty talons. It had a heavily muscled torso, in configurations unfamiliar to anyone not from Hell. Its arms were equally muscled, with massive claws. Spines grew from its back. It was red, with black stripes on the limbs and green veins. Its face was most shocking. It was multicolored, with spots and stripes. It was like the face of a dinosaur, but with a blunt snout. It had two horns on the back of its head and eight spines sprouting from its lower jaw. The eyes were huge and filled with an evil light. It looked at the world around it and laughed. "At long last, I am free! Free to take my revenge! I, the demon Majora, have  
returned! Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"  
  
Link gulped. "M-Majora? You've changed..."  
  
Tatl squealed. Navi hid behind Link's head. Sheik stared in horror. "That's the one that tried to bring down the moon in Termina?"  
  
"Yes. He was just a mask! What's happened?"  
  
"Ganondorf happened. His Triforce gave me the boost I needed to free myself! My father sent us back here to prepare the way for him. He gave us specific orders not to kill Link, but I don't think he would have a problem with me killing your girlfriend here."  
  
"No! Don't kill her." Said Ganondorf.  
  
Majora was surprised. "Why not?"  
  
"She is the Princess Zelda in disguise. She helped to thwart me, I'm sure of it. She gave the Ocarina of Time to him in the first place, and kept me from getting my hands on it while it was in her possession. We should let your father handle her."  
  
Majora pondered. "Come to think of it, I remember Link having an ocarina with him when he summoned the giants to stop the moon. That was the Ocarina of time, wasn't it?" He turned to Sheik. "If Link had never received the Ocarina, he would never have locked Ganondorf in Hell. In fact, he never would have been able to defeat me in the first place! Because of you, I had to wait ten years to be free, and my father would have been unleashed much sooner as well if you hadn't interfered! In a way, I guess you are indirectly responsible for both of our previous defeats. You are correct, Ganondorf. We should save her for my father." Majora grinned. "Of course, father didn't say we couldn't play with them a little, now did he Ganondorf?"  
  
"No, he didn't." said Ganondorf, grinning wickedly.  
  
"Then lets have our fun. You play with Link, while i have a game with the darling little girl. Let's play!" Majora crouched, then leapt at an amazing distance. When he landed, he ran down one of the alleys. Sheik raced after him.  
  
Ganondorf grinned at Link and Navi. "Looks like it's just you and me, kid."  
  
"I'm twenty years old."  
  
"You're still just a kid compared to me. Now, if you think I was strong before, watch this new trick I learned!" He raised his right hand, the Triforce of Power glowing. Ganondorf was encompassed in red fire. In the fire, he grew, getting bigger and bigger. His features changed as well, becoming more monstrous by the moment. He dropped to the ground as he lost his power of flight. The fire faded away, revealing Ganondorf's new form. He had cloven hooves, like a bull. He had green scaly skin. He had a tail like a stegosaurus, with spikes on the end. His chest was heavily muscled. In his massive forearms, he wielded two huge broadswords. His fiery red hair grew into a mane. He grew strange horns from the side of his head. His eyes were completely white. He still retained his necklace and head ornament. His flexible, reptilian snout twitched and snorted. His mouth was filled with razor sharp teeth and twin tusks. He roared. He had become Ganon, Beast of Doom. He grinned at  
Link, who stared at him unafraid. "Well? Are you quaking with fear over my transformation?"  
  
Link smiled. "Not really. I know how to beat you. Navi, Z-target him!" Navi obeyed.  
  
Ganon chuckled in a guttural tone. "Do you really think your fairy will help?"  
  
"Taste Light Arrow, beast!" said Link, reaching for a Light Arrow, only to find he was all out. "Uh oh."  
  
Ganon laughed. "No sacred arrows, and no sacred sword! You don't have a chance of beating me!"  
  
Navi was worried. "Link, he's right. We have no way to beat him."  
  
Link scowled, then thought of something. He grinned, then laughed. Ganon frowned. "I find this situation amusing, but why do you?"  
  
"Because I already wield the weapon that will bear your downfall, monster!" Skull Kid peeked out the window of his hiding place, hoping Link would win. He knew if Link won, Majora would be up against two fighters. He might not be able to handle what Link was about to do. Link raised his right hand, the Triforce of Courage glowing brightly on it. Link focused on the Triforce, channeling his strength into it. The Triforce glowed even more brightly. Ganon winced. Navi stared in wonder. Link was engulfed in green fire. As the fire burned, he changed, becoming fifteen feet tall. His pants were black. He wore black armor, with a triangle on the left-hand breastplate and a crescent on the right. His tunic and hat had turned white. His hair and eyes were white as well. His face was covered in blue and red battle-paint. His shield was gone, and his sword had changed as well, becoming a ten-foot long broadsword, formed of two interlocking blades, making a double helix, which emitted  
bluish sparks.  
  
Ganon stared in disbelief. So did Navi. "What-what-what have you become?"  
  
Link smiled. "I am Oni Link, the Fierce Deity. I doubt you can stand up to my strength, beast." He raised his awesome sword. "Prepare for your defeat."  
  
Navi flew over. "Wow...Link, is this what you did when you battled Majora the first time?"  
  
"That's right."  
  
"Then you'll need my help. Right! Z-targeting on!" she flew back to Ganon's face.  
  
Ganon seemed a bit unnerved by the transformation. Oni Link took advantage of the situation and fired a disc of light at Ganon, expecting it to stun him. Instead, Ganon lashed out with his own sword, batting the disc back at Oni Link! Oni Link slashed back, deflecting the disc, but so did Ganon. The disc went back and forth several times until finally it hit Ganon square in the face. He roared and shook his head. Oni Link ran around Ganon's back and performed a mighty jump attack on his tail. Ganon screeched in pain and spun around, dealing Oni Link a blow with one of his broadswords. Oni Link screamed and was knocked back several feet. Ganon charged. Oni Link quickly recovered and jumped out of the way, just as Ganon ran by, smashing into the closest building. Before Ganon, could back out, Oni Link stunned him with a disc then performed another mighty jump attack on his tail. As Ganon spun around, Oni Link backflipped to avoid Ganon's deadly counterattack. Ganon ran  
forward, swinging his swords. Oni Link blocked with his own sword. He continued to backflip away from Ganon's attacks. Ganon was getting frustrated. Skull Kid could see that Ganon's strength was not speed. Oni Link dashed behind Ganon and performed another jump attack and backflipped before he could be decapitated. He repeated the process twenty more times. Ganon seemed to be tiring, but so was Oni Link. Oni Link hit Ganon with another light disc and ran to Ganon's behind as before. Once again, he did a jump attack, then backflipped away, barely dodging the swing. Ganon was frustrated. Then he had an idea. He backed away, until his back was touching a wall. He crossed his swords, which started glowing as Ganon concentrated his energy on them. With a roar, Ganon unleashed the energy, which raced across the empty marketplace in the form of an unstoppable energy ball. As the ball was about to hit Oni Link, he swung at the ball, attempting to deflect it. That was his mistake.  
The instant the ball made contact with the Helix Sword, it exploded! Oni Link and Navi were knocked backwards, screaming in agony. Skull Kid had to shield his eyes from the blast. When it faded, he looked out the window and gulped. The entire marketplace was charred. All the stalls and wagons and carts had been destroyed in the blast. Oni Link was lying against a wall, which had cracked from the impact. His hair was singed, his sword was blackened, and his armor had been shattered. Navi lay only a few feet away from him, her wings limp, and her glow was very, very, very dim and flickering. Skull Kid moaned and went back to cowering under the window. He could hear Ganon's laugh. He slowly approached Oni Link, wanting to savor the moment. Tael panicked. "What do we do what do we do what do we do what do we do what do we do what do we do what do we do?"  
  
Skull Kid was too terrified to answer. He thought to himself, We'll stay here Tael. Where it's safe. When both of those two big bad monsters are gone, we'll go out and head back to the forest. We'll be safe back in Mesmoria. It's too sacred for Ganon and Majora to enter. Yes, we'll stay there completely safe as Majora destroys the world and releases Satan onto the universe. Yes, we'll be perfectly safe. But what will we tell Spryte about Navi and Tatl? A part of him asked. We'll tell her they died trying to save the world. And you think she'll take you back? After you hid here like a coward, not willing to go out and save her daughter and adopted daughter from death? What kind of friend are you? A cowardly one. Fool. Any real friend would try to save them. You dare call yourself anything but a failure? If you are not a friend, then that is what you are. A failure. Better a live failure then a dead friend. Is it really? No. But I'm too scared to go out there! Don't you  
remember what you told Link, on that day ten years ago? Not really. Let me refresh your memory.  
  
The next morning, they were all set. Link was waiting on the platform to be changed back to human. Navi, Tael, Tatl, Spryte, and Skull Kid (still a fairy, otherwise he wouldn't really be able to live in the palace) watched. The green fairies showed up and cast their magic, changing back to normal. Link stepped off the platform. Navi flew into his hat, just like old times. As he headed towards the front gate, he said his good-byes to all his friends. Just as he was about to play the Melody of Mesmoria, Skull Kid flew up. "Link, wait!"  
  
Link turned around. "What is it?"  
  
"I just wanted to say...thank you. Thank you for everything. You've given me an adventure, friends, a home, a family, and my life. I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay you, but I just want you to know that I am your imp. If you ever need anything from me, I'll do it. I just wanted you to know that."  
  
Link was touched. "You care that much Skull Kid?"  
  
"Of course I do. Now, if you don't mind, I have to get on home. My new mom is calling me. Good bye, Link." He flew away.  
  
"Good bye, Skull Kid," whispered Link. "I'll never forget you."  
  
Don't you remember? You promised him you would do anything for him. And you're just going to let him be killed by the Devil? Skull Kid thought about that. He stood up. "Tael, we're going to do something."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Rescue our friends." He pulled his dagger out of his boot and ran outside, followed by Tael.  
  
Ganon was walking very slowly towards Oni Link. He was almost there. Skull Kid snuck around the debris from the carts and booths, trying to get behind Ganon. He made it and quietly walked up to him. Ganon leaned over Oni Link, who was starting to recover. He chuckled. "Did you really think you could defeat me, kid? I am the Great King of Evil! I don't lose that easily." Skull Kid leapt onto Ganon's back and started climbing up. Ganon immediately noticed him and started trying to shake him off. Skull Kid kept his grip and kept climbing until he reached Ganon's neck. Ganon fiercely tried to knock him off. Locking his legs around Ganon's neck, Skull Kid drove the holy dagger into Ganon's mane. Ganon screamed as the holy blade made contact with his flesh. He writhed in agony, knocking Skull Kid off. As he roared in pain, the dagger paralyzed him. As he stood there frozen, Oni Link grunted and got up, grabbing his sword. Shouting, he charged Ganon, with a final jump attack, he  
brought his sword down, severing Ganon's tail. Ganon shrieked and fell to the ground, unconscious. Navi moaned and weakly fluttered onto Link's shoulder.  
  
Oni Link panted. "Thanks, Skull Kid."  
  
"Just repaying a favor, man. And to help you even more..." Tael flew over Oni Link and Navi, sprinkling them with fairy dust, healing their wounds. Refreshed, Oni Link grinned. "Come on, we've got to save Sheik!"  
  
"Hold on!" said Skull Kid. He reached into his pack, pulling out the vials of fairy dust. He ingested the purple, yellow, gray, and black dust, making himself faster, stronger, invisible, and able to fly. Oni Link could still see Skull Kid thanks to his new body's magic. Hopefully, Majora would not be able to see him. They ran off, trying to find her.  
  
Sheik moaned and fell to her knees, her energy spent. The last spell she had hurled at the demon hadn't even fazed him. All her light blasts seemed to do was make him angry. She panted. Majora loomed over her. He smiled. "I must commend you on your efforts. You fought nobly, but poorly. You should have realized that it would have hurt me more if you had splashed some holy water on me. You could even have escaped to the Temple of Time and attacked me from just inside the door! None of my attacks would have been able to affect you in there! But it's too late now. And you call yourself the Guardian of Knowledge! Hah!" Sheik moaned again, cursing herself for not thinking of that option. Majora chuckled and leaned closer. Tatl flew into his face, glowing at maximum intensity and jingling. The demon recoiled, flinching. Grimacing, he grabbed Tatl. His hand smoked, but he didn't seem to notice. Tatl jingled a little more desperately. Majora grinned and started to squeeze.  
  
"N...n...no..." wheezed Sheik, clutching her chest in pain.  
  
Majora grinned. "Ah, the little bug means something to you, does she? Well, I hope you don't terribly mind her death." He squeezed harder. Suddenly, a blast of light hit him from behind. He screamed and let go of Tatl. Taking this opportunity, Tatl healed Sheik. Majora turned around, snarling. He saw Oni Link, Navi, and Tael, but no Skull Kid. Majora was surprised. "What happened to Ganondorf?"  
  
Oni Link kept his expression hard. "He killed Skull Kid. I cut his tail off in fury, knocking him out. You will pay for what had been done, demon."  
  
Majora's response to that was a meteoric fireball, which Oni Link deflected. Majora let the fireball hit him, showing no reaction of pain. He laughed at Oni Link's surprise. "Did you really think one born from hell could be hurt by fire?" He hurled more at Oni Link, who ran towards Majora, swerving erratically to dodge the fireballs. While he was occupied, Sheik hit him from behind with another light blast. Majora turned to attack Sheik, only to get hit from behind by a disc, stunning him. Oni Link ran up and performed multiple jump attacks, damaging Majora with his now-sacred blade. He quickly got far away as the demon recovered. Majora backed up, not quite sure how to handle two opponents at once. Then he grinned and started charging up a twin blast, when an attack that hurt far more than either of Oni Link's or Sheik's hit him from behind. Majora screeched in pain. He looked around trying to see his attacker, but could not. He was paralyzed with pain from the attack. The  
attack had been of course, Skull Kid's dagger. Majora could not see his attacker because Skull Kid was invisible. Skull Kid, using his super strength, grabbed Majora by the back spines and flew into the air, suspending Majora. Sheik stared in confusion.  
  
"Who is doing this?" she asked.  
  
"It's Skull Kid. He ingested fairy dust." Said Oni Link.  
  
"Ah. Before we start to take advantage of this, I want to compliment your transformation. It's quite handsome." Oni Link grinned. They turned to the suspended demon. Tael, Tatl, and Navi were right in his face, glowing at maximum, causing the demon more pain and targeting him for Oni Link and Sheik. The duo unleashed attack after attack on Majora, hitting him with light magic again and again. The double attacks, plus the fairies' attack and the holy dagger in his back were really starting to wear Majora down. Finally, he roared and flexed his body muscles, popping the dagger from his back, which fell to the ground. He then electrified his skin, causing Skull Kid to drop him. Majora swatted the fairies away, then charged Oni Link and Sheik, who were desperately pelting him with attack after attack while moving backwards. Finally, they gave up and just ran. Skull Kid dived, trying to get his dagger back. Majora turned around, stopping his pursuit of Oni Link and Sheik, who  
hadn't noticed he had stopped. Mentally scanning the air, he found Skull Kid and tossed a spell over in his direction. Skull Kid got hit. Suddenly, the effect of the fairy dust was reversed and Skull Kid was suddenly visible, and no longer flying, super strong, or super fast. He wailed as he fell five feet to the ground. He quickly grabbed his dagger, unsure what to do. Majora began to charge, but got hit from behind by Oni Link and Sheik. While he was stunned, Skull Kid ran up and started stabbing the demon with his dagger. Majora shrieked. Whenever he started to move, Oni Link and Sheik hit him again, allowing Skull Kid to stab him some more. To make it worse for him, the fairies stayed right in his face, jingling loudly and glowing at maximum brightness. The demon was starting to look very ragged. As he was stunned and hit again, Majora's mind raced, trying to find a solution.  
  
Finally, he found one. As he came out of stun once again, he quickly leaped high into the air, dodging the attack, which nearly hit Skull Kid. While in the air, Majora fired dozens of meteoric fireballs, showering the group with a rain of fire. As they dodged, Majora got to the ground again and pounded the ground with his fist, causing a shockwave that knocked them off their feet. He prepared to unleash another attack on the stunned heroes, when he got hit from the side at high speed by a huge, feathery bullet. The demon was hurled away, smashing into a building, which collapsed around him. The thing that had hit Majora shook his head, hooting. "Kaepora Gaebora!" cried Oni Link.  
  
Kaepora hooted. "Link, I have something very important to tell you. I have scanned Skull Kid's mind and found something of great importance imprinted on his subconscious. It is..." Majora erupted from the ground with a roar, stopping Kaepora. Before anyone could make a move, Majora spewed out a massive stream of fire breath right at Kaepora. Kaepora screeched as he was engulfed in flames. When Majora finally closed his mouth, the wise owl fell over roasted alive. (Or is it barbecued? Grilled? Toasted? Fried? Baked? Cooked? Broiled? Boiled? Microwaved? There are way too many terms for how food can be changed with fire.)  
  
The party stared in horror, Skull Kid most of all. Kaepora had been about to tell them something very important, something imprinted in Skull Kid's own brain! But what could it be? They would never find out now. Majora laughed. Sheik and Oni Link turned towards the demon, their eyes burning with fury. Oni Link raised his sword. Sheik raised her hands. Skull Kid kept staring at the burning corpse, still thinking of the owl's death. Navi and Tatl flew up, their glow at maximum, crackling with electricity. Tael was on Skull Kid's shoulder, not sure how to comfort his friend. "No..." whispered Skull Kid.  
  
Sheik and Oni Link prepared to hit the demon with the most powerful light magic they could muster. Majora grinned and gestured. Suddenly, Oni Link and Sheik were trapped in two red crystals, their fairies sealed with them. The crystals floated a few feet into the air and over to Majora. The two banged on the crystals, trying to get out, but could not. Skull Kid slowly turned from the corpse of the brave, wise owl, turning towards the demon, his eyes full of hate and rage. Majora smiled. "It's over now, slave. Come to your master. I don't need you for a host anymore, but I'm sure I can use you for something. Perhaps housework Or"  
  
"No." said Skull Kid.  
  
Majora frowned. "You are my slave. You don't have any say in this matter. If I want you to do housework or toilet-cleaning, you'll do it."  
  
"You don't understand. I don't just mean that I won't do you housework, I mean I'm not your slave. I was emancipated ten years ago this Carnival of Time. Do you understand me?"  
  
Majora looked angry. "You dare rebel against your master?"  
  
"You're not my master. You just think you can order people to do whatever you want. You can't do that. You don't own me. I am my own person."  
  
Majora had an unreadable expression on his face. "SO, my little slave has evolved a will of his own. Too bad. My father never said I couldn't kill you, so I see no reason why I shouldn't." He started walking towards Skull Kid. Tael tried to distract Majora, but he was too intent on Skull Kid to notice him. Tael finally gave up, flying back towards Skull Kid. Skull Kid didn't run. He stood there, staring Majora down. The demon stopped a few feet away, considering. "Hmm. Should I kill you slowly or quickly? Let me think...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" Majora screamed for Skull Kid had dashed over and thrusted the dagger into his torso while he had paused. The dagger paralyzed Majora. He was leaned over in pain. Skull Kid took advantage of this and jump-kicked Majora between his legs, hard. Majora shrieked once more and fell over, unconscious. Skull Kid left his dagger in, knowing Majora would only stay out as long as the dagger was in his  
torso. He walked over to his friends' prisons trying to figure out how to break the crystals. He then noticed that they were frantically yelling something, but the crystal was soundproof. Finally they just kept pointing at something behind him. Skull Kid turned around and got hit on the head by the butt of his dagger, which had been thrown at him. Rubbing his forehead, he picked it up, then gasped as he saw who had thrown it. Tael screamed. Majora was up. He looked very angry. He was panting and clutching the wound from the dagger, he was still covered in scars from where he had been stabbed before, and his eyes were bloodshot. "You dared to hurt me. I will kill you quickly. Very quickly. But I will make sure the last thing you feel before you leave this world is excruciating pain. SO prepare to feel my ultimate attack-the Demon Flare!"" Majora started concentrating, his veins bulging, his muscles quivering. His eyes began to glow brighter and brighter. The air around him  
started to waver and blur, as if it was under great heat. It was. Majora started glowing red, faintly at first, but steadily growing brighter. Skull Kid considered charging, but knew the air around Majora was already so hot he would probably combust if he tried to reach the demon. Skull Kid and Tael looked around desperately, trying to find a way to escape. They could not. They were in an open square, and all the buildings were locked.  
  
"Skull Kid, what do we do?" asked Tael desperately.  
  
"We die, Tael. We die like heroes." The pair watched solemnly as Majora continued to charge up his attack. Oni Link, Navi, Sheik and Tatl watched helplessly from their crystals as the brave imp stood there, preparing to meet his maker (literally). Majora's glow had changed from red to white, and kept getting stronger, and stronger, and stronger still. Finally, he was a blazing white. The air around him was not only wavering; it was flickering and becoming opaque from the heat. Skull Kid and Tael stood there, staring straight ahead as Majora unleashed the attack. It raced towards him, a huge blast of fire, like a nova. When the intense glare from the heat faded, the surrounding square was completely incinerated. The buildings all around were charred a permanent black. The ground smoking and melted closer to Majora. Skull Kid and Tael were gone. The prisoners cried, for they had lost a good friend. They cried, for the world was doomed. They cried, for when the sun rose, it  
would signal the dawn of a new age. The dawn of the reign of Majora. The Dawn of the Demon.  
  
THE END?  
  
That is very sad, isn't it? I could be an evil person and let the story end, but I doubt I will. Do you want this to be the end? Do you want it to continue? If you do, please R+R! 


End file.
